Curried Corn Chowder

I love soup. I love soup because it is healthy, and I can control exactly what goes in it! I love soup because you can't really mess it up--anything goes. I love soup because it not only warms the body, but it warms the soul. Yes, Los Angeles is not a winter or fall city, but it has been around 60 degrees or so here, so this is soup weather for us!

A good soup cannot be made in 5 minutes. The ingredients need time to get to know each other. I think that soups are kind of magical--you take a bunch of independent ingredients, and you make something that is greater than the individual ingredients.

I served this soup with dinner rolls that had been in my freezer. I defrosted the dinner rolls, and then I cut them in half and broiled them in the oven with a dab of butter and some grated parmesan cheese until the cheese was slightly dark and bubbly.

Enjoy this healthy, vegan dinner alternative!

Recipe- Curried Corn Chowder

Preparation/Cook time: about an hour and a half
Servings: 6

1 big yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. fresh thyme OR 1/8 tsp. dried thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 and 1/2 cups frozen or canned corn
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. sugar
2 tablespoons, unsalted butter, clarified (see directions below)
1 tablespoon Madras-styled curry powder
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
pepper, to taste

1. Saute the onion, garlic, and thyme in 2 tablespoons butter (regular) in a large soup pot over high heat, stirring occassionally to keep the onions and garlic from sticking to the bottom of the pot. After the onion has begun to reduce in volume (5-10 minutes), lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for 10-15 more minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent.
2. Add the corn, stock, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the stock simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Prepare the clarified butter. To prepare clarified butter, melt the butter in a small saucepan until the milk solids have separated from the oil (there will be white, cloudy liquid floating on top after melting the butter). Use a spoon to scoop out the milk solids. Milk solids cause butter to burn more easily, which is why we are removing them.
4. In a separate saucepan, warm the clarified butter over medium heat. Add the curry powder, and cook until the curry aroma permeates every inch of your dwelling (3-5 minutes).
5. Remove the soup from the heat. Let cool for a few minutes. Pour half of the soup into a blender, and blend. Return blended soup into the soup pot. Heat the pot over medium heat; then stir in the clarified butter/curry blend (step 4).
6. Stir in the coconut milk, cilantro, salt and pepper. Cook for another 15 minutes, until all the flavors come together. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.