Karen Martini's corn, potato and speck chowder

Name: Karen Martini's corn, potato and speck chowder
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large Dutch cream potatoes (or similar), scrubbed; 3 corn cobs, kernels stripped; 250ml full-cream milk; 150g speck (or kaiserfleisch), cut into 2cm cubes; 50g unsalted butter; 1 brown onion, finely diced; 2 leeks, white part only, finely sliced into rounds; 3 celery stalks, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 5 thyme sprigs; salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper; 2½ tsp sweet smoked paprika; 3 tsp plain flour; 2 litres chicken stock; 300g leftover roast chicken, diced (optional); 150g sour cream; 100g pickled jalapenos; ½ bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped

Karen Martini

February 24, 2022

Roasting the potatoes skin-on helps achieve a silky-smooth result. Serve the soup with sour cream, fresh jalapenos and coriander.William Meppem

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:4

This chowder is silky and rich with a deep corn flavour and slightly smoky accent from the speck and paprika – in short, everything I want in a good chowder. This is just as good without the chicken, but it's an excellent way to use up any leftovers from a roast, leaving the carcass picked clean and ready to make stock.

Ingredients

2 large Dutch cream potatoes (or similar), scrubbed
3 corn cobs, kernels stripped
250ml full-cream milk
150g speck (or kaiserfleisch), cut into 2cm cubes
50g unsalted butter
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 leeks, white part only, finely sliced into rounds
3 celery stalks, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 thyme sprigs
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
2½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tsp plain flour
2 litres chicken stock
300g leftover roast chicken, diced (optional)
150g sour cream
100g pickled jalapenos
½ bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped

Method

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
Step 2
Leaving the skins on, place the whole potatoes on a tray and bake until tender, about 1 hour.
Step 3
Blitz the corn kernels with the milk in a blender until smooth.
Step 4
In a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, brown the speck (the fat will render out) until caramelised (about 10 minutes).
Step 5
Add the butter, onion, leek, celery, garlic and thyme to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
Step 6
Meanwhile, split the potatoes and crumble their flesh into the corn mix. Discard the skins.
Step 7
Add the paprika and flour to the pan, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, then the corn and potato mix, then the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 8
Turn the heat to low and add the chicken, if using. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a minute or so to warm the chicken.
Step 9
Top with sour cream, jalapenos and coriander and serve with crusty bread on the side.