Bacon Corn Chowder

I'm a big soup fan, and even though I posted my Pork and Chorizo Soup on Monday, I'm still thinking SOUP today.  It's so snowy nationwide with almost 2 feet in places, I just couldn't post the Vietnamese Spring Rolls that I had  planned.... seemed like we needed something more cozy.  Also, my husband needed some 'grub' for his group of friends who like to jam together last night, and I had all these ingredients ready to go!

I try to keep a bag of frozen cubed hash browns in the freezer, for the obvious hash browns, or a very quick soup or chowder.   I almost always have bacon in the fridge, or freezer, as I always buy the 4 pack at Costco.  If you didn't have frozen corn, you could use canned corn, or even creamed corn.

1/2 lb. bacon, thinly sliced into small strips
5-6  cups cubed potatoes (0r 32 oz. bag of frozen diced hash browns)
3 cups frozen corn, 1 cup reserved
1 1/2 onions, small dice
3-4 celery stalks, smaller inner ones with leaves are best, small dice
3 cups water, or broth (I used 2 tbsp of chicken base)
3 cups milk or cream, 1 cup reserved
Salt, going to take a tablespoon or two
Fresh ground pepper

Serving Condiments:
Grated cheddar cheese
sliced green onion
Crisp sliced bacon

Saute the bacon until browned, remove and drain the bacon, retaining 1-2 tbsp of bacon grease to saute the onions and celery.  Saute until they are soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, and 2 cups of the corn.  Add 3 cups of water, or chicken broth.  I added about 2 Tbsp chicken base to my water to give it some great flavor.  Heat to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender, but not falling apart.  Meanwhile, add the remaining 1 cup of corn to your blender, with 1 cup of milk.  Blend until smooth and add to the soup when the potatoes are done.  Add the remaining cups of milk (or cream) and heat through.  If the soup is too thin for your liking, you could add 1/2 cup of instant potato flakes to thicken it up quickly. 

What else would this technique work on???

You could easily use this technique with:

• Canned clams- just skip the corn (or even include it) and you've got a nice clam chowder.
• Add Cooked chicken and make it Bacon, Chicken and Corn Chowder.
• Substitute Ham for bacon, or add both!