Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Today was another good day.  I took the boys to the park and we had our lunch under some shady trees.  Soren ran around with another little boy while I sat on a bench with Kieran and chatted with some other moms.  Kieran fell asleep after sucking down a bottle and all was right with the world.  When we got home, Soren went right down for his nap and Kieran and I played.  When Soren woke up, it was time to start dinner.  I had a bunch of fresh corn and started looking for corn chowder recipes.  Once again, I got some ideas and then improvised.  This was the final recipe and it was a major hit with my husband and I.  Here it is: 

3 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off

1 large sweet potato, diced

1 yellow onion, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed

4 cups of chicken stock

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

12 raw jumbo shrimp

4 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Sea salt

Sour cream for garnish 

Handful of Cilantro or Parsley for garnish

In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, orange bell pepper, jalapeno and thyme.  Season with sea salt.  Saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the flour and stir for a minute.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Add the heavy cream and the sweet potato.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.  Add the corn.  Cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt remaining butter and oil in another pan over medium heat.  Saute shrimp for a couple minutes on each side.  Remove shrimp from pan and chop.  Add shrimp to the soup.  Add salt to taste.  

Ladle soup into individual bowls.  Garnish with a bit of sour cream and fresh cilantro or parsley.  ENJOY!