Corn Chowder

This is one of my family’s favorite dishes; rich, creamy, comforting. It’s good to pair with bean or vegetarian dishes. It’s fairly easy to assemble and make, and good for those chillier days.
What You Need:

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 sm onion, chopped (I prefer the purple onion both for flavor and color)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or put through a press
• 1 pepper, seeded and diced (I like to use one half orange pepper and one half yellow pepper- the two peppers offer a subtle blend of flavor and a nice crunch to the chowder)
• 3 cups of corn kernels (frozen is fine, but fresh is better [you can also just use 2 cups of corn, if you prefer])
• 8 red or gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced (I like the red better)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 quart milk
• 1 TSP dried oregano (you can interchange this with thyme, if you prefer, either 2 TSP fresh or 1 TSP dried)
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup cheese (I used 3/4 cup medium cheddar and 3/4 cup Gloucester) [cheese optional]

What You Do:

• heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot and sauté’ the onion until tender
• add 1 of the garlic cloves and the pepper and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the pepper has softened slightly
• add the remaining garlic, corn, potatoes, broth, milk, herb, salt, and pepper
• bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, stirring from time to time
• puree 2-3 cups soup in a blender and stir back into pot
• taste and adjust seasoning
• if you’re using cheese, add it and stir until it melts, and serve
• enjoy!