Spicy Corn Chowder

Yesterday was the first snow of the year here in Boston.  The weather outside had me craving a thick and warm soup after working late.  Joe was on hand to be my sous chef for the night, so I decided to try this corn chowder recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.  For those of you who don't know Isa Chandra Moskowitz, you should check out her online website, The Post Punk Kitchen for some amazing recipes. 

Spicy Corn Chowder with Crostini
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1 large red pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, 1/4 inch dice
2 carrots, halved and then cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced (if you want don't want it to be too spicy, use just 1)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Some black pepper to taste (I used a decent amount)
1 teaspoon of salt
4 cups of vegetable broth (Isa uses 3 cups, but I used 4 and eliminated the soy milk)
3 cups of corn kernels (she recommends fresh ears of corn, but I used frozen corn)
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bay leaf
Pinch of all spice (Isa uses Cheyenne, but I didn't have any)
Lime juice to taste
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
 *Isa recommends also using 1/4 cup of plain soy milk, but I didn't.   The chowder came out tasty and creamy without it, so no need for the extra fat.  But totally your call!

In a stockpot saute the onions, peppers, carrots and jalapenos in the EVOO over medium heat for about 7 min (until the onions are translucent, but before they begin to brown).  Add the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and saute for another minute.  Next add the broth, corn and potatoes with the bay leaf and all spice.

Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes to reduce the liquid even more (I turned the stove up to medium for this.

Remove the bay leaf and transfer half of the soup to another pot.  Using an immersion blender, puree half of the soup until it is smooth and then transfer it back to the stockpot and mix well.  Then add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and stir in well.  Finish it off with lime juice to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon) and simmer for 5 minutes.  Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Crostini
This is a super easy thing to throw together to finish a soup meal.  I took half a loaf of baguette and cut it down the middle (like a sub roll).  I then cut those pieces in half again so I had several long pieces of bread.  I drizzled them with EVOO and put a little salt and pepper on them and then broiled them for about 2 minutes until they began to brown.  Voila! Awesome to dip in soups!