Name: Rich Corn Chowder
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 5 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped; 2 cups chopped onion; 1 cup chopped celery; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 jalapeno pepper, diced; 4 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed; 3 cups chicken broth; 1 tsp salt; ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup half-and-half; 1 avocado, peeled and chopped; 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered; ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

You don’t have to drive far in any direction in South Georgia to be surrounded by cornfields. Summertime means corn is coming. When it arrives, we eat it nearly every day. I think ahead to winter and freeze as much as room allows. I’m always warmed by summer corn in a bowl on a cold January night.

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Rich Corn Chowder

Makes: 7 cups

Prep Time40

Total Time1 15

Ingredients

5 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, 12 minutes or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.
Carefully pour hot drippings through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large Dutch oven; heat drippings over medium heat. Cook onion and next 3 ingredients in hot drippings, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes or until tender. (Do not brown onion.) Add corn; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
Process mixture with a handheld blender until almost all of mixture is mostly pureed. (Leave a few kernels whole.) Stir in half-and-half. Cook over low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with bacon, avocado, tomato, and parsley.