Crab Corn Chowder

I was able to spend an glorious afternoon in my kitchen cooking for the first time in a very long time. Since we didn’t get nice, hot summer weather until very late in the season this year, I wanted to celebrate by making a summery dish. And, naturally, I thought of corn. I have a recipe for crab corn chowder which is good but definitely has room for improvements, so I decided to take it on. One of the improvements that I made was to simmer the milk with the de-kerneled cobs; this imbues the milk with a warm corn flavor that adds depth the soup. This recipe makes a huge batch of thick, creamy soup.

I also made homemade ricotta oregano knot rolls from Bread Machine: How to Prepare and Bake the Perfect Loaf to accompany the soup. These were so terrific (and I had extra ricotta left over) that the next day I made more, this time using 1 tbsp. of caraway seeds instead of the dried oregano. Delicious!

Crab Corn Chowder (serves 6 to 8)

• 4 ears corn
• 4 cups skim milk
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups fish stock or broth
• 16 oz. crab meat

1. Cut the kernels from the corn and reserve the cobs. Put the cobs and the milk into a large pot and bring to almost a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the cobs.
2. Heat the oil in a soup pot over moderate heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and corn and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in the broth and milk and combine. Bring soup up to a bubble and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Add crab meat and simmer for another 5 minutes.