🌺 Harvest Corn & Chorizo Chowder

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Summer might not be over yet but it feels over. Or maybe that's the result of keeping the thermostat set to 50 degrees.

Anyways, this is an old favorite that I made a bit differently this time. Adapted from Bon Appétit and Taste Of Home.

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6 ounces smoked Spanish chorizo, either ground or cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/4 cups)*
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 poblano or jalapeño pepper, chopped (and seeded if desired)
1 pound (about 3 medium) unpeeled red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cans cream-style sweet corn
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups half and half
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)

Heat oil over medium heat and sauté chorizo for about three minutes (five minutes if using ground). Remove from heat.

In a separate skillet, heat oil and add three cups of corn (fresh or from frozen), onion and pepper until they start to soften (5-6 minutes). Add the potatoes and stir until they begin to soften (7-8 minutes). Transfer the corn mixture to a large pot and add thyme, both cans of cream-style corn and the four cups of chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes. Add the half-and-half and chorizo. Simmer three more minutes to heat through (longer if you desire a thickened the consistency).

* In the past, I've followed the Bon Appétit recipe to a tee, which includes pureeing three cups of corn with half the chicken broth (adding that at the end, where the two cans of creamed corn are now). The end result was always a bit too watery for my taste. In addition, using ground chorizo instead of sausage-style gave this a deeper flavor and richer appearance. YMMV.

Make sure to have some crusty bread on hand and enjoy.

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