A&M: This is an earthy, moody corn chowder that alternates between sweet and hot. We were intrigued by Nancy Jo’s technique of cooking the vegetables in their own juices—without any extra liquid—before adding milk and cream, which seems to intensify all the flavors. Nancy Jo’s inspiration for this recipe came from an issue of Food & Wine. “Not being a fan of bell peppers,” she said, “I modified it by adding poblano peppers instead, and I think it tastes much better.”
6 medium ears of corn
6 strips bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium poblano pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small celery rib, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
2 medium boiling potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch sugar
1 small bay leaf
2 cups light cream, at room temperature (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup heavy cream)
1 cup milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, for garnish
- Working over a bowl, cut the corn kernels from the cobs at about half their depth. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape the cobs over the bowl to release all the “milk”; set aside.
- In a large saucepan, fry the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Crumble and reserve.
- Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the poblano, jalapeño, and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, salt, allspice, sugar, bay leaf, and the reserved corn kernels and their “milk” and stir well. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to sizzle.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cream and milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat and season with black pepper and more salt to taste. Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon and parsley.
Photography by Sarah Shatz
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Nancy Jo occasionally roasts the poblano for a richer flavor. Broil the pepper on a baking sheet until blackened, turning it occasionally so that it blisters evenly. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and remove the seeds.
We admire Nancy Jo’s purity, but we never—never!—peel or seed tomatoes. Some might call us lazy; we like to think of it as a firm conviction.
ABOUT THE COOK
Nancy Jo is a creative director living in New York City.
Her favorite recipe from a cookbook: “Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce. Absolute perfection!”
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
Elizacbrown: “Yummy. Easy to make and delicious. I did not have a poblano, but did have some of my own fresh roasted tomatoes. I added those, which gave it a nice smoky flavor.”
BEHIND THE SCENES
In the early days, before Food52 was open to the public, all of the recipe entries came from family and friends—whom we sometimes had to cajole into participating. Nancy Jo is a friend of Merrill’s, and she introduced us to Sarah Shatz, who took almost all of the beautiful photographs you see in the book and on Food52.com. The other winner this week was Merrill’s sister, Abs; see her recipe Not Red Velvet Cake with Fudge Glaze.