Ham and Corn Chowder with Potato
A hot and
hearty soup incredibly creamy and rich, ideal for cold winter nights!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 5 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk (I use low fat but full fat will work too)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn (or drained canned corn)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups ham , roughly chopped
- 1 small onion , diced (or half large onion) (yellow, brown or white)
- 2 potatoes , peeled and diced into 8mm / 1/3" cubes
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme), plus extra for garnish
Instructions
First, Melt
the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Then, Add
onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Do not leave the
brown onion.
Add the
flour and whisk until the butter is mixed. Pour 1 cup of milk into it and whip
until it starts to thicken (about 1 1/2 minutes), then pour the rest of the
milk cup in it. Whisk until thickened - about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Then add
chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk.
Increase the
heat to medium-high and add the potatoes in the soup. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes
(Note 3) whisking regularly enough to prevent the soup from sticking to the
bottom of the pan. The soup will thicken during cooking. Use the remaining 1/2
cup of water if the soup gets too thick before the end of potato cooking.
Just before
the end of cooking, add the corn (just to warm it).
While the
potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over high heat. Add
the ham and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until well browned. Remove the pan from
the heat and set aside.
When the
potato is cooked (tender but keeps its shape), remove the soup from the heat
and stir through most of the thyme and ham (reserve a little for the filling).
If the soup
is too thick for your taste, use water (or milk) to get the desired
consistency. Add the salt and 5 black peppercorns, then do a taste test and
adjust the salty taste if necessary. Happy Cooking Time.
Serve,
garnished with remaining thyme leaves and ham.
