Creamy corn chowder

I wasn’t expecting to do this today when I got up, but some switch inside of me got triggered this morning, and I decided to make this experimental recipe for creamy corn chowder that I had assembled.  I had no idea how well it would work out, assuming it worked out at all, nor did I know if it would really make chowder.  To me, soup with its runny liquid base is on one end of the spectrum, on the other end of the spectrum is stew (which properly made is thick though it runs a little), and in that sweet spot in the middle is chowder — not liquid like soup, but not as solid as stew.

Of course, the part that made it easy for me to decide on a whim that now was the moment to make this was its preparation in the slow cooker.  The slow cooker is one of my best friends in the kitchen (and should be so for everyone, I think).  For most things, you just dump everything in, set it, and forget it until it is time to eat.  And the smells it places in your home are just fantastic!

This recipe was no exception.  Here’s what I put into my 2-1/2 quart slow cooker for this recipe:

• 2 15-oz cans cream corn
• 1 cup potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 3 Tbl onion, minced
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cup chicken broth

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Initially, I put in all the dry ingredients except for the bay leaf.  Then I added each of the wet ingredients and stirred until everything was more or less evenly distributed.  Finally, I added the bay leaf on top, covered it, and set it to cook on low for 4 hours.  After 4 hours, I came back, removed the bay leaf, stirred everything together so that it would once be even, and served it with some natural wheat bread.  I call it natural because it doesn’t have all the preservatives and other chemicals that most of the junk bread in the bread aisle has in it.

It turned out to have a very good flavor, which was wonderful.  I was happy to have developed a vegetable-centric recipe, as I need more convenient ways to get more vegetables into my diet.  That said, when I make this again, I will be making some changes.

First, the end result was more like soup than chowder, so to thicken it, I will reduce the chicken broth to one cup and hold back the flour and milk initially.  About a half hour before the dish is done, I’ll mix the milk and flour together separately, and then pour that mixture into the slow coker, stirring so it gets more or less evenly distributed.  That should thicken it up into more of a chowder and less of a soup.

Second, the flavor as is in this first attempt was really good.  I could sense that part of the reason for that was the smoked paprika.  The portion of smokiness it imparted was just lightly, however, so I want to double or maybe even triple the amount next time so I get more of that smoky flavor coming through.

Third, the wheat bread I served with the soup was a nice addition, but I’m thinking that some cheddar biscuits might pair better, especially if I have actual chowder and not just soup.

The aftermath of my hospitalization a year and a half ago forced me back into the kitchen in search of recipes that would help promote my recovery and avoid pain (which eating the “wrong” things would quickly bring).  I still have some trouble, though to nowhere near the extent it was when I left the hospital.  But it did bring some healthy habits into my life, and experimenting with and developing recipes like this one have reintroduced me to the joy I once had being in the kitchen.  It’s good to be back in there.

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