Quick and easy corn soup (chowder?)

Perfect for late August/early September, when corn is in season but nights are cool enough that it does not seem ridiculous to make soup. I made it often last September and took one for the team by making it this evening, although it's only mid-August, to make sure I remember the recipe.

Highly recommend! Tasty but very easy, very few ingredients, and all ingredients other than corn are common staples. Only worth making if the corn is tender and sweet, though.



This serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 if it comprises a significant proportion of the meal. The recipe is very robust to messing around with proportions. You can jazz this up, but the beauty of the recipe lies in the fact that there's no need at all to do so. 


Recipe 

Cut the kernels off of

-- 2 ears of corn (should be the good stuff)

and scrape the "milk" that stays on the cob into the bowl/plate with the kernels. Mince, very finely,

--- 1/2 a small yellow onion.

Heat on medium-low, in a medium saucepan, 

--- olive oil and butter, 2-3 tablespoons total, in any proportion you want. I'd recommend adding a little butter for flavor, even if it's just a teaspoon. 

Add the minced onion and sauté on medium-low or low for 5-6 minutes, sprinkling on a little salt halfway through, until onion is translucent and tender and just a little shrunken from evaporation. Onion shouldn't take on much color. Then add 

--- whole milk, ~2 cups

And raise heat to high. After about a minute add the corn kernels and juices, allow to come to simmer, lower heat and simmer for about two minutes. Then turn off heat, season to taste with salt and red chili powder  and serve hot. 

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