Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

We arrived back home in Vermont last night from a weekend away in Geneva, NY. We watched the temperature drop to 41 degrees on the car thermometer and hoped that the bedroom window was closed. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Thus our house is a balmy 50ish. Since it is only the first week of October, and we are tough Vermonters, it is obviously far too early to turn the heat on. Instead a day of baking and cooking ensued. What better than homemade bread and a rich fall soup?

This week's recipe comes from the New England Soup Factory Cookbook, a book I do not own but borrow often. We had received sweet potatoes in our CSA last week so I flipped through the recipes with that in  mind. When I saw it I knew it was perfect for a day like today. Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder.

The Recipe:

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

7 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled

4 Tbsp. butter

2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 Spanish Onion, peeled and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

8 C. Chicken Stock

5 dashed Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 C. Packed Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

2 C. Heavy Cream

1 16-oz can whole kernel corn, drained

1 16-oz can creamed corn

salt and pepper

Directions:

                Boil some salted water. Dice 2 of the sweet potatoes and add to the boiling water. Boil 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.

                In a stockpot melt butter over m/h heat. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and remaining 5 potatoes (chopped). Saute for 10 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes (or until the potatoes are soft).

                Remove from heat and stir in worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, coriander, and cream. Puree using a hand blender (immersion blender). Add the reserved sweet potatoes and both corns. Return to the heat and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season.

I served this soup with homemade multigrain "harvest" bread (I used the crusty boule recipe from this blog but mixed in 2 cups of harvest grains, kalamata olives, garlic infused oil, and marinated mozzarella balls. 

The soup was a wonderful fall soup. It was very rich with just a hint of sweetness. I found that I needed to season additionally at the table and next time would season as I added ingredients instead of just at the end. I also added a few dashes of hot sauce because I thought the soup seemed a little too sweet while I was cooking it. We will definitely be having this soup again!