Slow Cooker Corn Chowder with Jalapeno

 

This soup is beyond amazing!  My friend, Karen, made it for me and, after scarfing down 2 bowls, I begged her for the recipe.  It is from the book, "Art of the Slow Cooker- 80 Exciting New Recipes" by Andrew Schloss.   I immediately got my own copy of the book, because it's just full of yummy looking recipes.

I like this cookbook because it's a little different from most crockpot cookbooks.  You don't just dump a bunch of stuff in and cook it all day.  You do just a little bit of cooking in the first place- like sauteing onions or browning meat- THEN dump it all in and cook it all day.  The results are a little more refined.

Don't be afraid of the peppers in this recipe.  It really isn't too hot.  Two jalapenos in a pot this size doesn't do too much.  I used 2 and took out the seeds.  Start with one if you're nervous about the heat, or 3 if you like it spicy.  The author talks about how the heat is lessened when they peppers cook for such a long time.

I just used canned ground coriander in my soup.  But I liked it so much that I wanted to try toasting the coriander and crushing it myself, so I asked my DH to get me a mortar and pestle for Christmas.  He got me a marble one.  Cool , huh?  Honestly, the ground coriander from the spice aisle is just fine.  I just wanted to play.  You could also toast the coriander and put it in a pepper mill to crack it.

You really should give this soup a try- it's delicious!

Corn Chowder with Jalapeno

2 slices salt port of bacon, finely diced (I used bacon)

2 onions, finely chopped

1 bell pepper (red or green) stemmed, seeded, and finelydiced

2 celery ribs, finely diced

2-3 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

3 cups corn kernels (about two 11 ounce cans), drained

1 can (about 15 ounces) fire roasted tomatoes (I could only find a 32 ounce can, and I used it all. We liked it)

 1 can (about 15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin, preferably cracked from ground whole seeds toasted in a dry skillet

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup cream or half-and-half

Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat.  Add the bacon and cook until browned and bottom of pan is glazed with fat.  Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and jalapenos. and saute until the onions are lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, and add the corn, tomatoes, and beans.

Add the cornmeal, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and rosemary to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Add the broth and heat to boiling, stirring often.  Continue boiling until thickened, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, and pour into the slow cooker.  Cover the cooker and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low, until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the cream and heat though, about one minute.  (note- I didn't add the cream to the whole pot.  I just put a little half-and-half to taste in each bowl.  I think this would also be good with a dollop of sour cream and garnished with cilantro instead of mixing in the cream or half-and-half.  And a little grated cheese on it wouldn't be bad, either!)

ENJOY!