The Foodie Files

I'm just gonna shoot straight with you, folks- our 4th of July picnic was awesome.  Delicious food, beautiful weather and the most delightful people you could ever hope to know...it was perfect.  With the 4th coming to a close, however, we're shifting our focus to the situation at hand: what do we do with all these leftovers?  We did some damage today but somehow it seemed like the plate of corn on the cob was multiplying instead of disappearing (which you will never hear me complain about).  My Mom had the brilliant idea to whip up some corn chowder with the surplus and man was it good!  Fresh, delicious and surprisingly light for a chowder...we seriously devoured it (and I suspect you will too).   

Ingredients: 

10 ears of corn

6 oz prosciutto, chopped

1 onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 TBS all purpose flour

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups whole milk

3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into cubes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp minced fresh thyme

1 cup heavy cream

2 TBS minced fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Standing the corn on end in a large bowl, cut the kernels from 4 ears using a paring knife.

Grate the remaining 6 ears over the large holes of a box grater into a second bowl.

Saute prosciutto in a large pot over medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so), then add a few splashes of broth.  

Stir in the flour, then cook for 1 minute.  Slowly stir in the milk and broth, then add potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and grated corn.  Bring to a simmer and cook 'til the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the remaining corn kernels and cream.  Continue to simmer until the kernels are tender yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes.  Discard the bay leaves, stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste before serving.