Coconut Corn Potato Chowder

~ This dish came about because my daughter decided she wanted corn from the weekend farmers’ market. When time came to make dinner, my son declared soup night. And I, doting mother I am- was trying to put together something to please both of them. Then I started looking around and noticed I had Yukons that I needed to use. Simple corn chowder, it was. However in the middle of cooking, I began to doubt the freshness of the heavy cream which had been sitting in my refrigerator. It wasn’t anywhere near the expiration date, but it had been opened. Better safe than sorry; I tossed it. Now I needed something creamy to thicken it up. I spied a container of coconut milk and decided why not? The result was hearty, but tasted very light and fragrant. The corn added texture and sweetness. The coconut milk was creamy and added another dimension to the dish.

Special Equipment:

4qt soup/stock pot

Ingredients:

3 medium Yukon potatoes- peeled and grated

3 slices thick cut bacon- minced

1 small onion- minced

3 cloves garlic- minced

raw corn kernels from 1 cob of corn

8.5oz coconut milk

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp flour (tapioca starch or corn starch)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp fish sauce

½ tsp Italian seasoning

fresh ground pepper

pinch of fresh dill

pinch of cayenne

salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Set pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for about 3min, until translucent. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
2. Add starch/flour and mix well to soak up all the bacon fat. Add chicken broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning. Cover and reduce heat to medium low for 15min.
3. Stir in coconut milk, making sure to loosen any potatoes from the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to low and cover for 10min.
4. Add corn and let simmer for 5min.
5. Taste and add salt if necessary. I used my own chicken stock which did not have salt, so I had to add about ½ tsp. If you are using store-bought chicken broth/stock, chances are it has sodium. As always, taste before you season. Add a few twists of fresh ground pepper.
6. Dish into individual bowls. Add a pinch of dill and cayenne if desired.