It's August. It's raining. It's time for chowder.

So here's what had to happen today: corn chowder. It makes great use of some of my favorite summer ingredients (sweet corn, red bell pepper, sweet onions, smooth potatoes, and basil) and it's pretty economical. Instead of using bacon for traditional smokiness, I used smoked cheddar for smokiness. It was surprisingly different. The slight sweetness of the basil works well with the cheese, I think.


Corn Chowder with Basil and Smoked Cheddar
(adapted from "Jalapeno Corn Chowder" by Paulette Mitchell)

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 russet or all-purpose potatoes, peeled & diced
corn kernels cut from 3 ears of corn (about 2 cups)
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil (1 teaspoon dried)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic, and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the basil. Turn off the heat. If you have an immersion blender, add the milk, and partially blend the soup, leaving some texture according to your preference. If you have a standing blender, transfer 2 cups of soup to the blender, add the milk, and puree. Return the puree to the soup pot afterwards. Still off-heat, stir in the grated cheddar cheese. Return the soup to a servable temperature over a very low flame. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (I add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper).

This'll serve 4 regular people or 2-3 super-hungry people. Easy to multiply the recipe, though.

one of my favorite books

I love this book by Paulette Mitchell. It's all soup (well, plus a few accompaniments at the back) and all vegetarian. I'm not a vegetarian, and occasionally I sneak some bacon or a hambone into one of her soups. But all the ones I've tried are great. She does great things with garnishes. "Pear and Gouda Soup with Toasted Walnut-Cranberry Salsa" is a recipe whose title always makes me happy. The recipe appears below. I think the salsa would also be great on vanilla ice cream. Better yet, add a little onion and a minced jalapeno and try it over roasted pork. I bet a sandwich made with the salsa and pork would be un-terrible.




Pear and Gouda Soup with Toasted Walnut-Cranberry Salsa

soup:
2 ripe pears, cored, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

salsa:
1/2 unpeeled red-skinned pear, cored and julienned
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped dried cranberries
dash of freshly grated nutmeg

to complete the recipe:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
4 ounces baby Gouda cheese, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup pure apple juice or sweet white wine such as Sauternes
salt and ground white pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

1. To make the soup, combine the pears, stock, ginger, and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until the pears are very tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. To make the salsa, stir together all the salsa ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
3. To complete the recipe: in a separate small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth, about 1 minute. (Do not let it brown.) Remove from the heat. Gradually whisk in the milk. Place the pan back on medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to low and stir contantly until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
4. Puree the pear mixture in a blender until smooth. Add to the cheese sauce and stir constantly over low heat until heated through. Gradually stir in the apple juice and continue to heat, but do not let the soup come to a boil. Season to taste.
5. Top each serving with a sprinkling of nutmeg and a mound of salsa.

Paulette recommends making this soup and salsa just before serving; in other words, leftovers aren't the best way to enjoy this.