The problem with corn chowder is that it’s so bland. Or so I thought until I tasted a roasted corn chowder at a restaurant. Turns out the extra step of roasting the corn gives the soup a savory flavor that’s flat-out delicious.
After some experimenting, I came up with the following soup recipe. It’s rich and creamy, with a lot of depth. If you make it with vegetable broth, it would make a nice vegetarian dinner.
Roasted Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
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4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups canned corn
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 sprigs fennel
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup cream
1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
Black pepper
Salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix 2 cups of corn with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and spread it out on a cookie sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, until the corn starts to brown. Watch it to make sure the corn doesn’t burn.
In a soup pot, add the remaining olive oil and the garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until garlic begins to sizzle. Add onions and cook until soft, another 5-7 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and add the flour to the onions and garlic. Mix the flour so it forms a paste.
Add in all the rest of the ingredients except the cream. Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft. Add the cream and season the soup.
If the soup if too watery, cook another 15-30 minutes to condense the flavors. Taste and season. Fish out the fennel before serving. Enjoy!