Email to Cat      

Succotash Chowder

Source of Recipe

From "The Glory of Southern Cooking" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"It's been over a century and a half since Lettice Bryan showed us how to use corn in soups and chowders in her Kentucky Housewife 'receipt' book, but at Southern chowder parties today (especially in Florida, where chowder is king) you're just as likely to find vegetable chowders such as this as you are ones based on seafood. 'Since it's got both corn and limas, we just call it succotash chowder,' said my host at his cottage on rustic Amelia Island, north of Jacksonville. And what did he serve with the big bowls of smoky chowder? Delightful cornets of Georgia country ham stuffed with cream cheese and, of course, cornbread dripping with butter. Personally, I don't make this chowder unless I have fresh corn, mainly because I think the milk scraped with the kernels from the ears adds even more milky richness."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ pound slab bacon, rind removed and cut into small dice
â—¦ 1 medium onion, chopped
â—¦ 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
â—¦ 3 cups chicken broth
â—¦ 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
â—¦ 2 cups milk
â—¦ 3 cups white corn kernels (fresh or frozen and thawed)
â—¦ 1 cup baby lima beans (fresh or frozen and thawed)
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Recipe

In a large, heavy pot, fry the bacon over low heat till the fat is rendered. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, till softened, about 10 minutes, taking care not to brown the vegetables.

Add the broth and potatoes, increase the heat to moderate, and cook till the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Add the milk, corn, limas, and salt and pepper and cook till the corn and limas are tender, about 10 minutes.
Serve the chowder piping hot in soup plates.


Makes 6 servings