Column from January 7, 2010

Warming up on a cold winter evening

Is there anything that says “comfort” like a warm bowl of homemade soup?

I love a warm meal of soup inside when it’s cold and wintry outside.

By the end of the 19^th century, soup was an important part of most Americans’ diets. It was both economical and nutritious.

Stew, a close cousin to soup, was common during the Great Depression. A little meat and vegetables could be prepared to go a long way when there was very little money to feed families.

In fact, my father once told me he hated stew because he that was pretty much all they ate during the Depression. He shared that with me after he had devoured a bowl of stew I made for him.

“That was really good,” he said. “I can’t believe I liked that as much as I hate stew.”

Good thing he didn’t tell me that before I made it or I would have prepared something else and he would have missed out!

Here in the Columbia Basin, we have such a great variety of crops to make into soups – potatoes, carrots, onions, beans, corn and more.

Corn chowder is known as the “king of farmhouse chowders.” It’s mellow flavor and pale golden color is comforting and it’s a big favorite with children and adults both.

Hundreds of recipes for it have been published over the years, but since corn has always been a staple of the American farm, it is likely corn chowder was being enjoyed long before any recipe was ever printed.

Although the main ingredients vary from recipe to recipe (i.e. canned or fresh corn, evaporated milk or cream), the popular Shaker-style recipes are the most widely used. Of course, they use only the freshest ingredients, which aren’t as easy to come by in the winter.

And it’s in the winter when I enjoy soup the most. Here’s an easy recipe using ingredients available this time of year.

Corn chowder

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups potatoes, diced

2 cups water

1 can (16-ounce) cream style corn

1 can (16-ounce) whole kernel corn

1 can evaporated milk

Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, sauté onion and celery in butter until onion is translucent. Add potatoes and water; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in both cans of corn and evaporated milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer 15 minutes and remove from heat. May be served warm or cool.

This recipe freezes well, so you can make extra and not worry about leftovers going to waste, although I wouldn’t worry about that too much with this yummy recipe!