Hearty and Herby Corn Chowder

During the fall when I have run myself down with all the pumpkin recipes, I look forward to this comfort food chowder. So often we forget the beauty of all the harvest vegetables when pumpkin time comes around, so I thought it fair to mention some other vegetables left behind in the rush-in of fall and all the autumn colors.

Parsley is the main herb in this chowder recipe. It is an herb that is packed with vitamin C, a vitamin that is important for our immune system and overall health.  So, at a time of year when the sun starts to set early and rise late, it is one of the handy herbs to help boost our immune system when we need it most.

This chowder is a long-time friend of late evenings with a good book. Enjoy!

Herbed Corn Chowder

• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of onions
• 1/4 cup of shallots
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 quart of half and half cream
• 3 cans of creamed corn
• 1 can of sweet corn
• 2 cups of cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup parsley
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• Smoked pepper, salt, paprika, hot pepper flakes to taste

Put butter, onions and shallots into a skillet (I use a cast iron pan). Cook this until the onions just start to caramelize and then add the flour. Fork-stir this until no lumps are in the pan and it is smooth. In a separate pan on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave, warm up the half and half and add this to the onion mixture and stir well until smooth. Add the cans of corn, stirring constantly; add the cheese next. As the mixture heats, add your parsley, thyme, smoked pepper, and salt to taste.

When done, put into soup bowls and top with a few hot pepper flakes and sprinkle with paprika. I serve this with a nice crusty bread or corn bread.