“Soup is the song of the hearth…and the home.”                                                                                                                                  Louis P. DeGouy, “The Soup Book”  (1949)

Ham and Corn Chowder plus a nice glass of wine makes for a fine meal.

The weather had turned cold and rainy; the perfect atmosphere for a good bowl of soup.  We’re big on soup here at our house, a good hearty soup can be a meal all on it’s own.  A good soup nourishes the body and warms the soul.  Some soups heal and some are just plain good to eat.  Soups are as old as cooking itself, in centuries past a kettle was usually found hanging by the fire with some sort of soup simmering.  The ingredients were usually just a matter of whatever the household had on hand. Sometimes the ingredients changed daily depending on the what became available; mixing the new additions with what was already in the pot.

I had some ham bones set aside in the freezer for soup stock, perfect for such an occasion as this.  I like to save the left over bone and bits of ham as it makes a wonderful soup stock.  I also had plenty of sweet corn put up from last year’s garden plus some potatoes.  All the basic ingredients needed for a Ham and Corn Chowder!

First I put the ham bones in a stock pot, covered them with water and simmered them for a couple of hours until the ham was falling off the bones.  I separated the ham and bones from the stock, put the stock into a bowl and then skimmed off the fat. Next I sauteed a half cup of chopped onions in the pot in a bit of olive oil until tender, then added three cups of diced potatoes, two and a half cups of corn and two cups of the ham broth.  I seasoned it with 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper and 2 or 3 dashes of paprika.  After bringing it to a boil I then turned the heat down to simmer, put a lid on it and let it cook for twenty minutes or so until the potatoes were tender.  Now I stirred in three cups of milk, added three cups of the ham and brought it back up to serving temperature.

This turned out to be a wonderful soup with a delicious sweet flavor from the corn.  It was a big hit and I’ll be making this one again for sure!

Thanks for stopping by.

Jeanne

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.                                                                           Proverbs 10:22