Yesterday for Sunday Company Dinner, I decided it was time to make a “Passport to Fall” dinner.  It was one of those meals where we’re not totally ready to be done with summer yet, but the crisp in the air has us beginning to crave the flavors and nuances of fall food.  Our friends had dropped off a pork butt roast for Andy to smoke on the grill, so that was our starting point. (And by golly, we forgot to take a picture!) I decided that a Corn Chowder would be the perfect go-with that would encapsulate fall and summer.  I would use sweet corn that I’d cut off the cobs and froze a few weeks ago, new red skinned potatoes, and onions fresh from the farmers market. As a nod to summer, I made a simple, undressed salad of garden-fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, and our friends brought some freshly picked green beans.  For dessert, none other than a Pear Crumble would do, as pears are the last fruits of summer, arriving shortly before the apples of fall.

Last night during dinner, we encountered something strange, the children (all seven of them!) were quiet for a time as they gobbled up the soup in their bowls.  This is rather remarkable for a number of reasons.  None of the children at the table are big soup eaters to begin with, and, when these kids are together, they are just so busy enjoying their time together that they eat very little, and spend a lot of the meal time playing and kidding with each other.  But it was quiet last night, other than the exclamations of how much the kids enjoyed the soup, and the requests for seconds! The flavors of the chowder were subtle, it really tasted of fresh sweet corn, yet the slight smokiness from the bacon came through, and the addition of the beans at the end gave the soup a stick-to-you heartiness that every good chowder needs.  Not to mention, since the beans were thoroughly mashed into oblivion, none of the kids knew there were beans in that chowder, so they got an extra dose of protein without knowing it.

The adults equally enjoyed the chowder, and, as it turns out, I didn’t make near enough.  So trust me when I say to double this recipe for a crowd.  Even when serving it along with a few other things.  Yesterday as I was enjoying the process of cooking I had made grand plans in my head to take pictures of everything and give a nice homage to the end of summer, beginning of fall here on Tummy Treasure, except that, of course, I forgot to take pictures of pretty much everything.  In fact, the only photo I managed to snap was of the empty soup pot.   This corn chowder is that good, and since I had planned on leftovers for tomorrow nights dinner, I’m going to be making it again lickety-split.  If you don’t have fresh sweet corn available to you (fresh or frozen) I suggest picking up several cans of those sweet corn niblets to make your chowder with.  I also used a natural preservative free bacon- side pork would work great as well.  I would suggest staying away from sweet bacon like apple or maple syrup bacon, but anything that has that slight smoky flavor to balance the sweet in the corn would work perfectly.

Corn Chowder

Adapted from “From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens”

6 slices bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

3 or 4 medium red-skinned potatoes, diced, but not peeled

4 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels

1 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups non-fat milk

1 15-ounce can butter beans, drained and finely mashed with a fork

1.  Saute the bacon pieces over medium-high in a large soup pot until crispy.  Remove the bacon crumbles and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion to the bacon drippings.  Cook the onions until soft and translucent, but not browned at all.  Add the potatoes, corn, celery, salt, pepper and chicken broth to the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potato is soft and cooked through.

3.  Combine the flour and the milk in a bowl and whisk together until smooth.  Slowly stir the milk mixture into the soup.  Bring back to just-boiling, stirring frequently to prevent the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Once the soup begins bubbling, reduce the heat back to a simmer.

4.  Stir in the can of finely mashed butter beans.  Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until completely heated through.  Stir the bacon crumbles into the soup or use as a garnish to top the soup.

Serves 12 people as a main course, about 16 as an appetizer or accompaniment.