- 1tablespoon butter
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped
- 3 celery stalk, diced
- 1/4teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3tablespoon spelt or whole wheat flour
- 2cup vegetable broth
- 2cup whole or 2% milk
- 3 red potatoes cut into ½ inch pieces
- 5 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the stalk
- 2tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice*
- Loaf of whole grain bread or dinner rolls
- 1 (4 ounce) log goat cheese
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, celery, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour, careful to not let it burn.
- Add the vegetable broth and next two ingredients (through red potatoes), scraping the pan to dislodge any vegetables that may have adhered to the bottom. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in fresh corn and cook an additional 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Taste and adjust for additional salt and pepper. Serve with dinner rolls slathered with goat cheese.
While I love this vegetarian version, I have also served this topped with crumbled cooked bacon. The salty meatiness is the perfect accompaniment to the slightly sweet chowder, and is especially welcoming for your die-hard meat eating family and friends.
You could also add fish, scallops, and/or shrimp for a delightful seafood version. Just substitute clam juice for the vegetable broth.
If you are really adverse to the use of too much milk, just increase the vegetable broth to 3 cups, and decrease the milk to 1 cup for a more broth-based soup rather than chowder, although the 3 tablespoons of flour keeps it thick.
Using fresh corn kernels really intensifies the flavor and adds a natural milkiness, but if you don’t have fresh corn or want to make this in the dead of winter, just substitute a 10 ounce bag of frozen corn.
