bacon and kale chowder
⬆️ Watch the video here ⬆️
ingredients:
1 bell pepper
1 yellow onion
4 stalks of celery
5 carrots
5 cloves of garlic
6-8 yukon gold potatoes
2 bunches kale
4 ears sweet corn
8 cups water
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup butter
6-8 slices of bacon
3 tbsp chicken bouillon (Better Than Bouillon is the brand I prefer)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp rendered bacon fat
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garnish:
Bacon
Parsley
Substitutions:
If you don’t have bouillon, you can substitute for chicken broth, chicken bone broth, even vegetable broth as a last resort. If you choose a broth option, do not include the 8 cups of water listed in my recipe, you will use 8 cups of broth as the replacement. You can also use canned corn (whole kernel, not creamed corn) if you do not have corn on the cob.
Preparation:
Dice bell pepper, onion, celery and carrots. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Next mince the garlic place in a small bowl and set aside.
Cube the potatoes. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, then cover with cool water. This will keep the potatoes from turning brown while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Chop the kale and set aside.
Slice corn kernels off cob, then set aside.
Add olive oil to a warm pan. Sauté bell pepper, onion, celery, and carrots in a pan for 4 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant about a minute. Remove veggies from heat, set aside.
If using bouillon, dilute 3 tbsp in 8 cups water. Refer to substitutions section if not using bouillon.
Next make the roux. Melt the butter in a dutch oven, or other thick bottom pan on medium heat. Once the butter is completely melted slowly add the flour, stirring continuously. This is very important otherwise the flour will burn. Cook until a deep golden brown, roughly 5-10 minutes.
Slowly add the 8 cups of bouillon mixture (or broth) to the roux, stirring continuously. When you first pour the liquid into the roux it will create a lot of steam, be careful not to burn yourself during this step.
Add black pepper and 1 tsp red pepper flakes.
Next add the sautéed veggies and potatoes. Cover and cook on medium low until the potatoes have softened.
Cook the bacon in a preheated 400° oven for 8-10 minutes, or fry in a skillet on medium. Reserve 1 tbsp of bacon fat, set aside.
Once the potatoes are soft, add 1 tbsp of rendered bacon fat, along with the kale. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the kale has cooked down.
Add the corn, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. I add the corn at this step because I like mine to have a little crisp to it. If you prefer your corn to be softer, you can add it along with the potatoes.
Next add 2 cups heavy cream.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with crumbled bacon and parsley.
Enjoy.
