Corn chowder with herb infused oil

One of my previous neighbors is Canadian, and made stupendously delicious corn chowder for me while Mr. Spice was deployed. The chowder was so rich and tasty, that I didn’t dare try it with any healthy modifications, for fear of great disappointment. Well, I now have ears and ears of corn stacked up on the counter, and we can’t eat it fast enough fresh! I found a recipe for corn chowder with kielbasa in “From Asparagus to Zucchini” by the Madison County Area CSA Coalition, and decided to give it a try, healthy changes and all.

Boil corn on the cob, and after it’s cooled, slice the kernels onto a plate. I have recently been introduced to flavor infused olive oils, and savor the deep flavors they impart to dishes. I didn’t add extra herbs to this recipe since the oil was already flavored, but if you use regular oil, I’d suggest rosemary, oregano, etc.

Sautee half a chopped onion in oil, add one cup chopped mushrooms once the onions are cooked to your liking. Add up to two cups of chopped potatoes, and two cups of skim milk. Simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add two cups of corn kernels and one chopped tomato. If you’d like, add ½ to 1 cup half-and half (I didn’t). Heat through, and add chopped kielbasa or bacon.

Of course, if you prefer another type of milk in the first place, I’m sure it would be more like the Canadian version than this one with skim milk! I just love mushrooms and have too many tomatoes on hand, so they might not be standard ingredients, but I’m happy with them included. As you can see, I didn’t have enough potatoes, so I boiled a separate pot of grains, and put the cooked grains in the bowl with the chowder.