Southwesten Corn Chowder

Today was coooold at work and soup sounded just so good. To be honest I have had corn chowder on my mind for about three days now. This is a play on your standard corn chowder with just a little added kick to it.

This corn chowder turned out amazing! It has a real comfortable, earthy flavor to it. The sweetness of the corn balances the gentle heat of the jalapeno. Texturally the soup is silken in the broth and carries a very rustic boldness with it.
Ingredients:

1 Medium sized boneless pork chop
1/4 teaspoon Moroccan coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the above 5 spices into a rub and apply to both sides of the pork chop. Set it aside and allow it to come to room temperature.

16 oz. Frozen sweet corn (Defrosted)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 cups water
1 Pint of half and half
1 Russett potato cubed with skin on
1 Jalapeno pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

Bring your oven to broil and roast the pepper until blackened. Remove the pepper from the oven and sweat it in a Ziploc baggy. Once the pepper has cooled peel the skin and core the pepper.

In your blender, cream the corn by adding the defrosted corn and 2% milk, add the jalapeno into this mix as well.

In a large dutch oven melt the butter at medium to medium high. Once the pot is to temperature sear the pork until you have a nice crust on both sides. Set the pork aside and allow it to rest. Reduce temperature to a gentle boil. Add water to the pot to deglaze the pork and butter; this will bring more flavor to the soup. Cube the pork.

At this point add the pork, potato, black beans and creamed corn to the water and bring it back to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are tender add the cream and bring it to temperature but do not let it boil stirring constantly. Add a dash of coriander, cumin and then salt and pepper to taste.

Why a food blog.

One of the few things that people know about me is my passion for cooking. For me it is more than just a hobby, it has become a borderline obsession. Growing up I was a very picky eater and for a mother that is amazing in the kitchen I'm certain that I caused her all kinds of headaches trying to cook around my tastes. As I have grown I found that I have my mother's knack for making something delicious out of simple ingredients, not only that, but I never make the same dish twice. They may be close but because I never follow a recipe they always have a slightly different feel each time they are made. After I met Julie I was introduced to the "Food Network" were inspiration has come in small 30 minute segements. I found that while having a strong distaste for onions ( As well as a intestinal intolerance ) that I love the flavor and versatility of garlic and peppers. Most dishes that I make seem to relay on these two ingredients to define the flavor profile and from there I started to expand. I had always grilled meat well, however, I never truly knew the potential and the excitment that grilling and smoking meat meant. I must thank my wife Julie for giving me the go ahead to expand my knowledge in and out of the kitchen and for supporting my desire to try new things. With this food blog I hope to pass along my passion and creativity in the kitchen. My friends and family have repeatadly asked how I have made ceartin things and I think this format will give me the chance to pass this on.

After that long winded introduction I am going to keep this entry short. I am going to explain one of my favorite standby marinades. This is a fusion of Asian Teryaki and Southwestern Heat that I like to use on beef, chicken, or fish. Like I said this is one of my signature go to flavors and can be switched up and tinkered with to one's liking.

Ingredients:

Soy Sauce: I prefer Kikomans but really any label works. This is the main ingredient and the amount of other ingredients has always depended on how much I am planning on making. In this case use a 10 oz bottle.
Brown Sugar: Use this to take the edge off the Soy Sauce, I have always eyeballed this and done it to taste. You want the mixture to have a slightly salty and sweet taste.
Fresh Garlic: Start with two cloves minced. You can add more if you like it strong like I do
Fresh Rosemary: One sprig should get the job done here. I rarely have fresh rosemary so I have learned to use it dry. When I do this I usually grind it to a powder in a spice grinder.
Red Pepper Flakes: These go a long way, about a quarter teaspoon is plenty. Again you can always add more later.
Jalapeno Peppers: This is one of my favorite variations, as the mix stands it is amazing, adding the pepper adds that kick to make it stand out. I fire roast my 1 jalapeno ( This can be done in your oven set to broil until the skin is blackened on all sides ) then place the pepper in the bag to sweat the skin loose. Peel the skin off and slice the pepper length wise. Scrap the core out and remove the seeds. In this mix I dice the jalapeno very fine and add it to the mix.

Stir all ingredients in a mixing bowl. You can use this sauce to marinade over night if you are doing a big roast, pour it over fish if you want to add a quick flavor, or marinade chicken for four hours then grill it. As I said this is a quick go to marinade that produces amazing flavor with a little heat. If anyone out there reads this and tries out the recipe let me know how it turns out.
Fresh Ground Pepper: To taste.