Roasted corn, potato & chipotle chowder

Another wonderful summer soup! This one was inspired by the veggies in the fridge that needed to be used up TODAY! You know the ones, usually a victim of a fantastic sale, in this case: corn, 5/$1. 4 ears and over 8 days later the corn was a bit past its prime. Not quite compost fodder, but also not hydrated enough to be eaten off the cob.

What do you do with corn that's dehydrated and needs to be used? Roast it in the oven! You could use the grill but I was lazy and wanted to stay in the AC. I've talked before about roasting peppers indoors, and the same steps apply to corn. A word of caution, as the corn roasts kernels will pop and explode. It's fairly loud, and as long as you keep your face a safe distance away, something that's not too hard to do around a hot broiler, you'll be fine. But be aware of some noises, its completely normal.

Chipotles were added for a few reasons, a bit of spice is always nice in a chowder, especially one consisting of corn and potatoes, which can be on the bland side. Chipoltes are dried, smoked jalapenos. The adobo sauce that they're packed in is tomato, onion and spices. The smoking of the chipolte adds an amazing flavor, reminiscent of bacon almost, and worked perfectly with the roasted corn and earthy potatoes. Finally, the chipolte and adobo sauce adds a delightful blush and burst of spiciness to the soup, elevating it to a delicious chowder that's full of veggies and flavor to boot.

Roasted corn, potato & chipolte chowder
makes 8 servings
2 ears corn, roasted
2 green chilies roasted & peeled
2 chipolte in adobo finely minced
dollop of the adobo sauce from the can (1T approx)
4 small yellow potatoes diced
1/2 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 t cumin
3 T butter
4 T flour
2 cups milk
4 cups chicken stock
4 oz grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
kosher salt & pepper

Roast the corn and green chilies in an oven under the broiler until the corn is slightly charred all over and the chilies are blackened and blistered. Allow to cool. Peel chilies and finely dice. Cut corn off the cob, discard cobs.

In a large soup pot heat the butter until melted. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until the raw smell cooks out, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour and whisk well to incorporate. It will be quite dry, this is ok.
SLOWLY whisk in the milk, about 1/2 cup at a time. The 1st addition of milk will make a very thick paste, each further addition will smooth it out, whisk constantly to avoid lumps.

Add the potatoes, corn, chilies and chipoltes along with the chicken stock and stir to incorporate. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Once potatoes are tender and cooked through add the cheese and stir well to melt cheese into soup. Once cheese is melted and thoroughly incorporated, soup's on.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 239.1
Total Fat 10.8 g
Saturated Fat 6.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.1 g
Cholesterol 33.9 mg
Sodium 938.3 mg
Potassium 476.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 27.3 g
Dietary Fiber 2.8 g
Sugars 4.4 g
Protein 9.3 g