I love to serve corn chowder with what my mother called a Famous Sandwich: toasted bread with a dab of mayo, lettuce, tomato & cucumber; you have to cut on the diagonal and if you happen to keep toothpicks with frilly tops on hand, this would be the perfect occasion to employ!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup flour – I often use rice flour or oat flour, really whatever you have on hand!
• 1 large yellow onion – chopped
• 2 red peppers cut into ½ inch pieces
• 4 ears of sweet corn – kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups) or one bag frozen corn
• 3 cups milk, whole cow milk most yummy, but most any kind will do!
• 1 medium white potato – peeled and diced
• 1 cup water or stock
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until clear. Take ¾ of the cooked onion & set aside. To the remaining onion, add the potato and little while later, the red pepper. When they are soft, put that little batch aside. Take the larger portion of the onion and add the corn to it. Cook until the corn is soft and melded together nicely with the onion. Take one cup of that corn mixture and add to the potatoes and peppers. Blend the rest of the corn & onion mixture with the water or stock until smooth and creamy. Then stir in the corn, onion & pepper pieces. If you prefer the whole thing blended, disregard this paragraph & just sauté and blend all the ingredients together. Personally, I like to have those little chunks of potato and corn to mull over in my mouth and mind, and the distinct color of the red pepper all of which you lose if blended all at once!

In a flat saucepan make a roux by melting 2 tablespoons of butter. Add in your flour and with a fork, continuously stir these two ingredients. It will get to a crumbly consistency and a bit brown. At that point, pour in one cup of milk gradually, all the time whisking around with your fork. The milk will thicken right up, like magic. Add another cup of milk. Repeat. Add these to the corn & veggies and you have soup! The third cup of milk I keep on reserve; I will add it to the roux or pour it in plain, depending on how thick I’d like the soup to be. Some people also add further vegetable or chicken stock or water at this point, really just depends on your palate.