Creamy Corn Choup

Creamy Corn Choup ~ somewhere between chowder and soup

First and foremost, ( no, its not too late to say HNY...) I wish all my readers around the world a very Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year 2008.

Its been a very long time since I blogged, though not years! There were other things that needed my attention and my health took a toll, so blogging took a back seat. Thank you all for your concerned messages and comments, I am really overwhelmed.

As the temps are dropping more rapidly in here, I like to warm up with some soups during those wicked winterly days. Creamy corn choup is the thicker version for soup and thinner than any chowder, inspired by Rachel Ray.
Source: adapted from Rachel Ray
Cuisine: American, International
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
4 to 5 large ears corn, scraped from cob or 1 box frozen corn
1 medium or 2 small zucchini, chopped
1 pound small potatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken stock
1C heavy cream
1/2 C chopped flat-leaf parsley,
A few dashes hot sauce, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:

1. Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Add bacon to hot oil and cook until crisp at edges.
3. Add onions and corn, zucchini and potatoes and bell pepper as you get them chopped.
4. Also add to the soup pot the bay leaf, thyme sprigs, paprika, and salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables.
6. Sprinkle flour into the pot, stir and cook 1 minute. Stir in the stock and let it come up to a bubble and thicken up a bit.
7. Then stir in cream, parsley and hot sauce, to taste, and simmer 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve hot with garlic bread.
   

Note: Leftover choup is great to taste the next day too!


Lastly, a big thank you for all my visitors for your lovely, heartfelt comments, you are my inspiration to get start over after this long blog-break!