Corn Chowder

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

After raking leaves all day yesterday, I wanted somthing warm and filling. I looked in the refrigerator and saw some bacon and the last of this season's local sweet corn. Hum, corn chowder.  I also have quite a supply of gorgeous, multi colored potatoes that I dug from the garden, onions and green peppers from the garden and fresh thyme. Perfect--dinner!

This is an easy and tasty chowder.  You'll need:

6 pieces of bacon
1 med onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 c fresh cut corn, or frozen corn, thawed
2 c potatoes cut into 1/2" pieces
1 c chicken stock
3 c milk

1 t fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 c grated cheddar cheese

Saute the bacon, removed to paper towel to drain. I poured off all but 1 T bacon grease and briefly sauteed the onion and pepper--about 3 minutes, and then removed to paper towel to drain. But yes, these veggies could be sauteed in olive oil--my Indiana roots prevailed.

Into a pan, add the corn, potatoes, stock, milk and seasonings and bring to a simmer using medium heat. When the milk begins to simmer, add the peppers and onions. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the grated cheese and stir until melted.  I did not add a thickening agent like flour because there is natural starch from the potatoes; the cheese thickened the chowder, too.

I served the steaming bowls of chowder with cornbread made with Spring Mill State Park cornmeal--great meal!

Here's the link from a previous post for Cornbread Roxie:

Cornbread Roxie

Cornbread Roxie

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

I have made this cornbread hundreds of times: the recipe came from Gourmet magazine in January 1984. This would be particularly good with Spring Mill Cornmeal. But I don't have any of that. However, my brothers do...wonder how that happened.

This takes 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to bake. Easy!

1 1/4 c yellow cornmeal
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 T vegetable oil

Into a bowl, mix together 1 c plus 2 T of the cornmeal with the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in buttermilk and eggs and combine well.

Heat a 10" cast iron skillet over high heat for 1 min. Add oil and sprinkle with remaining 2 T cornmeal, spoon in the batter. Bake at 450 degrees F in the upper 1/3 of the oven for 10 minutes until it is firm in the center and pulls away slightly from the edges of the skillet.

Serve with lots of butter or honey!

How to order gristmill cornmeal from Spring Mill Indiana State Park:
estore.dnr.state.in.us/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=108