Corny chowder

If you ask kids to name a favorite vegetable, it's a safe bet that half will say corn. And there's nothing wrong with that. While I join many others in being alarmed at the proliferation of sneaky corn-based products in our foods, a simple ear of corn is entirely different. Corn on its own contains vitamins, protein and fiber (one ear has about 10% of an adult's fiber needs). So if corn is what a kid likes, by all means give her corn.

In the height of summer, there's nothing better than corn on the cob, especially fresh-picked and local. We often throw unshucked ears of corn on the grill to steam alongside whatever else is grilling. But I recently developed a corn chowder for a kids' cooking class, and it brings corn to a new level with only a few more ingredients. Yes, it has a few pieces of bacon in it, but it's also made with low-fat milk and thickened with potatoes. Part of what makes the flavor so rich is using the cobs in the liquid. I will admit, it made a huge mess in class — the corn kernels were flying as the kids learned how to cut the kernels off the cob. But it was a huge hit, and all the leftovers went home with the kids to share with their families.

I'm still finding corn in my farmers' market, and it's tasting so good. So make a batch of this soup and stick it in the freezer, for a cold winter night when you are craving a reminder of summer. 

Corniest Corn Chowder

adapted from Joy of Cooking

Serves 6.

5-6 ears of corn, shucked
4 pieces of thick-cut bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 1/2 cups 2% milk
2-3 new potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
chives, chopped thin

Remove the corn kernels from the cobs with a small knife. Put kernels in a bowl and set aside. Save the cobs.

In a soup pot, cook bacon pieces over medium for about 10 minutes until they start to brown. Add onions and continue to cook another 10 minutes.

While bacon and onions are cooking, warm milk in the microwave or in a pan over medium heat. It doesn’t need to boil, but it should feel lukewarm.

After onions have softened, add potatoes, corn cobs, and milk to the soup pot. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add corn kernels and cook another 5 minutes until potatoes are soft. Remove corn cobs and discard.

Using an immersion blender, blend about half the soup so that the soup is thick but still has whole pieces of potato and corn.

Serve with chopped chives on top.

Strawberries and Camp and Kids

I've been out of the blogging world for about a week now. Last week I taught a cooking camp with Kids Cooking Green, and frankly, I felt like the rest of my life was on hold. It was intense and time-consuming, but also incredibly rewarding. The format of the camp was simple: the students cooked their own lunch every day. But lunch meant a multi-course meal from scratch, often with a homemade drink or dessert. Thirteen kids aged 9-12 came every day ready to learn and taste, which made hauling the boxes of equipment and ingredients worth it.

The camp coincided with strawberry season here in the northeast, which is short but oh so sweet (I can happily report that my own family picked almost 20 pounds this weekend to stash in the freezer for winter jam making). At camp, we made sure several recipes featured local strawberries, which taste so different from the big berries that get trucked in from far away. When I work with kids, I like using a popular food like berries as a gateway to introduce topics like how to buy seasonally and locally, and how food tastes better and is better for you when it's cooked from scratch.

By far the best strawberry recipe of the week was something I called Pink Bruschetta. We made a quick berry sauce, toasted a quality baguette, and then topped the toasts with mascarpone cheese and the sauce. It was fun to make, and even though we cooked the berries, the sauce still tastes like eating a berry just picked from the field.

So get out there and grab some local strawberries before they are gone. And then make this dish. Because if a 9 year old can do it, you can too. 

Pink Bruschetta

3 c. strawberries, washed, hulled, and cut in half
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest
6 T. brown sugar
1 c. mascarpone cheese
One baguette, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and toasted

In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, lemon, lemon zest and sugar. Cook on medium heat until the strawberries are soft, about 10 minutes. Using a potato masher, break up some of the strawberries in the sauce. Set aside. (Strawberry sauce will keep in the refrigerator, for one week.)

In a small bowl, whisk together mascarpone with 3 tablespoons of the strawberry sauce, enough to turn the cheese a pink color.

Spread cheese mixture on a piece of toasted baguette. Top with strawberry sauce.