Roasted Corn Chowder

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It's sad but true, summer is almost over. I know I will miss all the fresh fruits and vegetables that summer has to offer. To take advantage of summer while it lasts, I've made this delicious roasted corn chowder. It is adapted from a similar recipe that appears in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

• 1 quart of basic vegetable stock
• 6 ears of corn, husks removed
  
• 2 medium yellow bell peppers, diced
• 1 large leek, green part removed and reserved
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1 pound of potatoes
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed
  
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups of water
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Place corn into a large hot skillet and sear all sides until some of the kernels turn dark brown. Remove and allow the corn to cool. After the corn becomes cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cob. Reserve the cob. Peel the skin of the potatoes and reserve. Dice the potatoes to small bite size. Slice the white and pale green parts of the leek and set aside. Reserve the dark green leaves of the leek.

In a large pot, reheat vegetable stock and add the green part of the leek, potato skin, and corn cobs. Simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and set aside.

In a large pot, saute chopped leek and onion in 2 tablespoons of butter until the onion softens, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add thyme, potatoes and vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. In the meantime, stew chopped yellow bell peppers in a pot with 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Slightly mash the potato pieces against the side of the pot using the back of a spoon. Add corn kernels and stewed yellow bell peppers. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I like how the slight smokiness of the roasted corn balance out the sweetness. It's refreshing, crunchy and creamy without any actual cream. This recipe makes a big pot of chowder and both of us happily enjoyed the leftovers.