Corn and Kale Chowder

I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, so I think it is way past time that I do that!  What better way to break my no-recipe streak than with this Corn and Kale Chowder?

Honestly, I attended Food Blog South back in January, and I was a little intimidated by all the bloggers who do food all the time.  It made me second-guess how I did things, but in the end, I’ve realized that I LOVE to cook and I love to share recipes!

What do I think about the food blogging “experts?” 

I despise white dishes and you won’t see any here regardless of what the “experts” say I should do.  I won’t photograph my food half-cooked to make it look more appealing, and I don’t spray it with anything I won’t eat, because this is my dinner!!!  Anything I take a picture of gets scarfed down by me or a member of my family within minutes of the last picture being snapped.  

All that is to say, if you want real food, from a real person, cooked in a real kitchen, you have come to the right place!  

If you want to see half-cooked food on white dishes, sadly, you’ve made a wrong turn.  

Still with me?  You’re my new best friend!

So, you knew there would be a story behind this recipe, right?  

Of course there is!  I was at the feed store last week, when a van pulled up carrying my favorite side-of-the-road vegetable sellers.  Later in the season, they will be selling fruits and veggies that they pick themselves from local farms.  At this time of the year, however, their produce is coming out of Florida, but it was beautiful!  

Anyway, my 4 year old walks up with wide eyes and exclaims “Mommy!  Will you buy me cob on the corn???”  Um, yes baby, mommy will buy you that.  (Mommy note:  *tear* please don’t grow up, and please never stop saying “cob on the corn” OK, baby?  Thanks.)

So, that is how I became the proud owner of a dozen ears of fresh corn in March.  

Regardless, this corn and kale chowder was was so tasty that I plan to use up the corn we froze from our garden last year to make another batch this week!  Maybe I need to make a double batch, because we didn’t have any leftovers!

Corn and Kale Chowder

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

This corn and kale chowder with bacon is a creamy delight! Serve with a nice salad and you have a delightfully light family meal in no time!

Ingredients

• ½ lb bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 carrots sliced thin
• 1 jalapeño pepper chopped (with or without ribs and seeds, depending on how spicy you like it!)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
• 2 big handfuls kale (in bite-sized pieces)
• 4 ears of corn cut off the cob or a 1 lb bag of frozen corn
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 heaping tbsp flour
• 1 cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio
• 1 cup chèvre (or cream cheese)
• 1 quart whole milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add bacon to a hot pot and render until it is almost crispy.
2. Add onion, carrots and jalapeno to the bacon and cook until the veggies begin to soften. Adding a little salt at this stage will help this process along.
3. Add garlic and saute for a few seconds, until it becomes very fragrant.
4. Toss in your kale and allow it to wilt for about a minute.
5. Add the corn to the pot along with a pat of butter.
6. When the butter is melted, add the flour and stir well to coat all the veggies. Cook for about 2 minutes so the flour loses its "raw" taste.
7. Pour in a cup of wine and stir.
8. Add a cup of chèvre or cream cheese and stir to melt.
9. Pour in the milk and stir well to combine.
10. Bring the soup to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
11. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

This recipe seems to have a lot of steps, but it is really very easy and so worth the effort! Don't worry. Dinner will be on the table in a flash!
Optional garnish: cilantro and raw corn!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4 Calories: 567 Fat: 29g Saturated fat: 15g Unsaturated fat: 11g Carbohydrates: 45g Sugar: 22g Sodium: 737mg Fiber: 4g Protein: 25g Cholesterol: 73mg

3.4.3177

Yummy!  It’s like a glimpse of summer in a bowl!  

Note: This recipe and many, many others can be found in my cookbook, The Homestead Kitchen! *affiliate*

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like my “Yummy Food” Pinterest Board!  And if you sign up for Beulah’s Mooooooosletter, you won’t miss a single recipe!  

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Summary

Recipe Name

Corn and Kale Chowder

Published On

2014-03-19