Originally published on Pittsburgh Magazine

There’s a bazillion corn chowder recipes out there. You don’t need them. This is an un-recipe because the ingredients in it are so fresh, so seasonal, you will never go wrong when you put them together.

The thing I like about this soup is that, right now, you can get all of the ingredients from practically any farmer’s market, any roadside farm stand. In fact, I got all the ingredients from an impromptu stop driving down a busy road – stumbling upon a lone farm stand. Nothing like a “fresh picked” sign to inspire me to brake!

The other plus of this un-recipe is that it only requires salt and pepper as the added spices. This is great for summer road-trippers like me who seek out accommodations with respectably-equipped kitchens – you can cook but these often only have salt and pepper in the spice rack (and I do not pack anything but my blender and a good knife so I’m completely dependent on what’s there). The minimal spice choice is fine, because I like to keep it very, very simple and quite light when I’m on vacation. Almost as an antidote for those times you do eat out — vacation restaurant food is almost unavoidably rich – you know, “fun” food! So at the house, I eat lots of fruit, cold vegetables, simple toast with (preferably local) jams, pasta primaveras, cereal, smoothies. Nothing that would take too much time, effort or ingredient complications.  And with the freshness of vegetables available all summer, any more effort would be gilding the lily.

 

Farm Stand Corn Chowder

Serves 4

 

2 T olive oil

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

3 ears corn, kernels separated (don’t throw the cobs)

1 ear corn, cut into 4 sections

3 small red potatoes, large dice

4 c. chopped kale

7-8 c. water

1/4 -1/2 c. coconut milk creamer (I use So Delicious) or any nondairy milk, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Sliced tomatoes for garnish

Heat oil over medium heat in a stock pot. When hot but not smoking, add garlic, onion and tomato. Saute until onions are soft. Add corn kernels, cobs, sections of corn, potatoes and water. Let boil and reduce heat to a simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

Take the cobs and the 4 sections out of the pot. Discard the cob and set the corn sections aside.

Place half the soup in a blender and puree until smooth. Put the puree back in the pot. Add the chopped kale and coconut milk creamer, if using. Stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place in four bowls and top with a section of corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes.