Freezer challenge: bacon, corn, chipotle peppers, chicken stock!

Okay, it took us half an hour of looking at these photos and discussing things to figure out what on earth we had made with these ingredients. But then we finally remembered (and we only made it a week and a half ago!). Jeremy found a recipe for Cheddar Corn Chowder. It originally came from The Barefoot Contessa cookbook, was adapted by some blogger over at Pink Parsley, and then picked up by Saveur magazine (which is where Jeremy found it).

Jeremy of course adapted it yet again!

Cheddar Corn Chowder
(adapted from Pink Parsley, who adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa cookbook)

• 2 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 2 1/2 cups creamed corn (or whole kernel corn)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 lb sharp white cheddar, grated
• 2-3 tbsp roasted chipotle/pablano pepper paste
• 1 tablespoon corn meal

Cook the bacon in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and butter to the fat. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, 3-5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the heavy cream then use a blender or food processor to blend small batches of the chowder to break up the corn (only puree about half to 2/3 of the soup).

Allow to simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese, chipotle peppers, and cornmeal. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If it is too spicy, add more heavy cream or chicken stock. Allow to cook an additional 5 minutes.

Serve hot with garnishes of bacon and extra cheddar.


The amounts are kind of funny because Jeremy halved the original recipe. In fact, he usually uses recipes as general guides and adds/deletes things as he feels led. So I'm not sure if you made this dish with these amounts that it would turn out the same way! But in any case it was very tasty. So much so, that we ate all of it before taking a picture of the final chowder!

And we were very proud of it because of how many freezer/pantry/refrigerator items it used: bacon, onions, chicken stock, corn, and those hot peppers. Even the cornmeal is stored in our fridge!