field notes: news & resources for re-linking the food chain

from The Hunger on flickr

I ordered 5 dozen ears of corn last week from Valley Family Farm in Milan, Michigan. I usually get 3 dozen ears to freeze for the winter.  But farmers Patricia and Ken grow super sweet corn that barely needs cooking, and at $15 it was pretty hard to pass up the very heavy burlap bag of 60 ears they had waiting for me.

So I had to figure out what to do with it all – quickly.  I froze some (blanched for a minute and then cut it off the cobs). Gave some away. Roasted some (in an open pan, slathered in olive oil and sea salt).  Boiled some.  And still had more corn. Big ears of corn.

Which lead to an experimental corn chowder pulled together from whatever I had in the house, mashing up recipes from a half dozen cook books and web sites.  It was a successful experiment by all accounts – not least because the corn was so good.

Gather the ingredients (and substitute freely!)

• 6 ears corn
• 6 cups veggie or chicken stock
• 3 medium cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 medium or 6 small potatoes (I had yellow fingerlings from a recent trip to Eastern Market in Detroit)
• 1 medium yellow onion (also from Eastern Market)
• 8 ounces tomato puree (the last jar in the freezer from last year)
• one large ripe tomato (the last from the garden)
• 2 celery stalks
• 4 strips good bacon (we like AppleSchram’s)
• 2-3 cups milk (I used 2% from Calder Dairy, but whole milk or cream would also work)
• fresh herbs to taste – I used bay leaves and thyme in the soup and garnished with purple basil (all from the garden)

Cut the corn from the cobs and put the cobs into a soup pot with stock, smashed garlic and bay leaves

Bring the stock to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes

Bring the milk to room temperature (or at least take the chill off)

While the stock is cooking:

• in a heavy skillet, cook the bacon on medium-low to render the fat, turning once or twice
• finely chop the onion, celery and dice the tomato
• when the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pan and set aside for later (you can drain on paper towel if you’d like)
• saute the onions in the bacon fat

By this time, the stock will be ready and you can remove the corn cobs and bay leaves.  Then:

• add the  tomato puree, potatoes and cooked bacon pieces to the stock, along with a good amount of salt and black pepper (bacon is optional but makes for a richer soup)
• turn up the heat until it barely bubbles, then add half the cut corn and cook on a low heat until the potatoes are soft

Meanwhile, add the celery to the onions and continue cooking; you can also add thyme to this mixture – strip the leaves from 10-12 sprigs or use one teaspoon dried thyme

Test the potatoes with a knife – when they’re soft, puree the mixture in the pot until the ingredients are well blended; it doesn’t need to be super smooth, but you shouldn’t be able to pick out a piece of bacon or a corn kernel  (I use a stick blender; a food processor or blender also work)

Add the milk, onions, celery and the rest of the cut corn, more salt and pepper to taste, and stir well

Add the diced tomatoes and simmer the soup on low, covered, for 30-45 minutes

Serve hot, with fresh basil sprinkled on each soup bowl  (you could use cilantro, parsley, chives, minced jalapeno pepper – or crumbled bacon if you didn’t add it to the soup pot)

We had the chowder with a Zingerman’s baguette and a plate of smelt.  It was a terrific meal.

Smelt is a cheap, healthy and sustainable fish – mostly wild caught in the Great Lakes.  I usually keep a couple of bags in the freezer.

Rinse frozen smelt and toss with lemon juice, then mix with coarse corn meal and a generous amount of Old Bay Seasoning. Let sit for 45 minutes or so (refrigerate if much longer).  Sautee in a little butter over a medium heat, stirring so the corn meal absorbs the butter and doesn’t stick to the pan.

Let me know if you try these recipes – and what variations or suggestions you might have.