It’s cold. There is no other way to describe the weather. Aside from moving south, one of the way to fight the winter blues is through yummy food. In the past months I have become a big fan of chowders. They are tasty, hearty, and the perfect answer to snow and ice. Now some health folks will squirm at the thought of a cream filled soup. But my version uses a simple trick to keep calories low without much compromise on the integrity of the dish.
Here is what you need to make 4 servings:
– 4 slices of bacon chopped
– 1 onion chopped
– 1-2 cloves of garlic pressed
– 2 tablespoons of flour
– Clam juice from 2 cans of clams
– 1 1/2 cans of clam
– 1 cup water
– 1 cup frozen corn
– Salt, black pepper, thyme, paprika to taste
1. In a thick bottom pot, place chopped bacon to brown. Once cooked remove the pieces from pot and place on paper towel to cool.
2. Drain any excess bacon grease and add in the chopped onions and garlic. Cook on medium heat until the onion are softened.
3. Stir in salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.
4. Incorporate the flour, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
5. Add in the clam juice and water. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the potatoes and let the soup simmer until potatoes are soft (approx. 10 min)
7. Ladle about 1/2 of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth.
8. Transfer back the blended mixture to the pot add in the corn and clams.
9. Serve soup in a bowl with bacon crumbled on top
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