You're probably thinking, soup in Summer, what's she thinking? Especially when it's stinking hot outside and it seems like the only appropriate foods to eat are salads, fruit, and ice cream, but hear me out.  The key to a good corn chowder, in my opinion, is the corn. When it's fresh off the cob, it's so crisp and juicy and sweet. Don't get me wrong, if you're really craving a corn chowder in the winter, by all means, use frozen, but from experience, you haven't really tried a corn chowder unless you had it during the months of August or September with fresh sweet corn off the cob and veggies from the garden.

I made this chowder a few weeks ago, never intending to share it on the blog for the very same reasons I just mentioned - soup in summer. But all things aside, Brent was like - you need to blog this corn chowder because it is the best thing I have ever eaten, which is what he always says when he really really likes something. So I took his word for it and made another batch today.

The soup is a combination of sweet, creamy, savory, and slightly spicy. I used fresh carrots, celery, zucchini, potatoes, and corn for the vegetables. The base of the soup is a vegetable broth and coconut milk. The soups thickness partly comes from the starch of the potatoes, and partly from the blending a few cups of soup at the end, and then adding it back. The addition of coconut milk gives a slight Thai taste. I have this coconut red curry chowder that I make from Red Fish Blue Fish in Victoria that uses coconut milk, and it is insanely delicious, so I thought I would use it in this recipe as well. Hope you enjoy!

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SUMMER CORN CHOWDER WITH ZUCCHINI, CARROTS, AND COCONUT MILK 

serves 6

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: 25 minutes

2 tbsp butter

1/2 sweet onion

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Russet potatoes, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

3 ears of corn, kernels removed

1 zucchini, chopped

1 cup coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste

In a large soup pot or a dutch oven, saute the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in butter until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are half cooked.

Remove the bay leaf from the pot. Add the corn and zucchini to the soup and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until corn is cooked.

Scoop out 2 cups of soup and puree in a blender or food processor. Add it back to the soup.

Stir in the coconut milk.

Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

Can be stored in the fridge for a week and the freezer for 3 months.