Corn Chowder with Bacon

Full term. Thirty-seven weeks and Nora can come at any point and it would be okay and I know this and I'm still here, at work, because the floor needs me and the math still says I can do this. Two more weeks. Maybe one. We'll see.

The COVID news is changing week by week now. Italy is in crisis. The WHO has declared a pandemic. At MGH the protocols have become real protocols—PPE allocation, isolation room plans, surge preparation. The hospital is building plans for scenarios I don't like to think about and I'm helping to build them because I'm a nurse and it's my floor and building plans is how you handle what's coming.

I haven't told Sean how worried I am. Not because I'm hiding it but because there's nothing actionable about the worry right now and Sean worries efficiently—he needs something to do with it. When there's something to do, I'll tell him. For now I tell him the hospital is preparing. He nods. He makes dinner. He keeps the phone face-up on the nightstand. This is the marriage: we distribute the carrying and we don't always announce when we're doing it.

I made potato soup on Sunday because potato soup is the right food when you need to feel grounded. The simple kind: potatoes, onion, stock, a little cream. Liam ate it and said "potato soup is good soup" with the decisive certainty of a person who has found their position. I agree. Potato soup is good soup. Some things are simple.

The potato soup I made that Sunday wasn’t really about the potatoes — it was about needing something thick and warm and uncomplicated while everything else was the opposite. Corn chowder with bacon lives in that same quiet category: a soup that doesn’t ask anything of you, that fills the kitchen with a smell that makes people wander in from other rooms. Liam’s verdict on potato soup being “good soup” applies here too, with the same decisive certainty. Some things are just simple, and that’s enough.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or cut from about 5 ears)
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh chives or flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Render the bacon. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve, leaving about 2 tablespoons of drippings in the pot.
Soften the aromatics. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the base. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 1–2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Add potatoes and simmer. Add the diced potatoes, smoked paprika, and thyme. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork.
Stir in corn and dairy. Add the corn kernels, milk, and heavy cream. Stir to combine and return to a gentle simmer. Cook for another 5–7 minutes until the corn is tender and the chowder has thickened slightly. Do not boil vigorously once the dairy is added.
Season and finish. Taste and season generously with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with the reserved bacon crumbles and fresh chives or parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Corn Chowder with Bacon — The Soup You Make When You Need to Feel the Ground Beneath You