Southwestern Corn Chowder

Ingredients

8 ears corn, husked, cut off cobs (cobs reserved)
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium onions, 1 chopped, 1 diced
1 qt. chicken stock
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 strips bacon
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
¼ cup light cream
1 chipotle pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. toasted cumin
1 tsp. toasted coriander
½ tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

Place corncobs in a large pot. Add about 2 quarts of water. Simmer for 3 hours. Strain and reserve broth.

Add bacon and 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a soup pot over medium heat. Cook until bacon is golden brown. Remove bacon and set aside.

Add chopped onion to the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic, chipotle pepper, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes, half the corn, and enough broth to cover. Use half corn broth, half chicken stock. Simmer until potatoes are soft, 20-30 minutes. Add cream and puree.

Add reserved bacon and 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add corn and cook for 3 minutes. Add to pureed soup with the cilantro.