Corn Chowder

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If chowder for you means a thick, milky soup containing bacon and potatoes, then corn chowder fits the definition. While my late DH loved clam chowder more than anything else, he loved corn chowder, too. 6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped* 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 2 stalks celery from the outside of the bunch, including leaves, very thinly sliced 2 red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, diced 1 mealy/baking potato, diced 5ml/1 tsp. dry thyme 240ml/1 cup water 1 bay leaf 1 stem rosemary, about 7cm/3" long 6-8 gratings nutmeg 280g/10 oz. frozen or canned yellow corn/maize kernels; use fresh if available 750ml/3 cups milk 125ml/1/2 cup heavy/whipping/double cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Garnish: Sweet Hungarian (Szeged) or smoked Spanish paprika or Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley * Do not use maple cured, brown sugar cured or any other kind of sweetened bacoan, as the sweetness will fight with the savoriness of this recipe. Hickory smoked bacon is very good here. Cook the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pot untilit is tender and has released plenty of fat. Add the onion and celery; cook until very tender. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add the thyme and stir a bit to release the fragrance. Add the water, bay leaf, rosemary and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, about 20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Remove and discard bay leaf and rosemary. Add corn and milk and heat until bubbles just form around the edge, stirring to prevent scorching. Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Taste and season; keep in mind that some bacon adds salt to the chowder so be careful. Serve garnished to taste. Corn chowder is lovely as part of a soup and salad lunch. At dinner time, it is a good first course. Follow it with broiled chicken thighs accompanied by broccoli and carrots in lemon dressing and cole slaw. For dessert, try diced mangos tossed with pomegranate seeds. Drink either white wine or reisling and seltzer water garnished with lemon slices. Enjoy a cup of expreso at the end.