Recipe by Rachael Ray, 2007 Makes 4 servings Somewhere between chowder and soup, this is a tasty vegetable "choup."
2 T. extra-virgin oilve oil 4 slices bacon, chopped 1 onion, chopped 4 to 5 large ears corn, scraped from cob, or 1 box frozen corn 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, chopped 1 pound small potatoes, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 bay leaf 5 to 6 springs fresh thyme 1 tsp. paprika Salt and fresh ground black pepper 3 T. all-purpose flour 1 quart chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of generous handfuls A few dashes hot sauce, to taste Oyster crackers or white Cheddar popcorn, to pass at table
Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil. Add bacon to hot oil and cook until crisp at edges. Add onions and corn, zucchini and potatoes and bell pepper as you get them chopped. Also add to the soup pot the bay leaf, thyme sprigs, paprika, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables. Sprinkle flour into the pot, stir and cook 1 minute. Stir in the stock and let it come up to a bubble and thicken up a bit. Then stir in cream, parsley and hot sauce, to taste, and simmer 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve with crackers or popcorn to float on top. --------------------------------------------------------- This is one of my favorite soup recipes! I use half-and-half instead of heavy cream, and I like to top it with crumbled bleu cheese or feta. --Elisa Juarez
