Spicy Roasted Corn Chowder

Fresh corn is in season and I love eating boiled corn on the cob, but here's another way to use fresh corn in a delicious, spicy chowder that'll make your house smell amazing!

I was inspired by this recipe but made a few changes.
Here's what you need:

6 cobs of corn, still in their husks
2.5 cartons chicken stock
A mixture of poblano, jalapeño and Hungarian or bell peppers
6 slices bacon
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 ribs celery
1 lb potatoes
3 Tbsp tequila
1 cup half and half (or milk or cream)
1 lime
crumbled feta or cotija cheese 

First, roast the corn.  Place the cobs on a baking sheet and stick them in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Roasting them in the husks gives them great flavour.

While the corn is roasting, roast some peppers.  I used these peppers from my garden. The yellow ones are mild Hungarian peppers.  The long green ones - I'm not sure what they are.  Maybe Anaheim? They're pretty spicy though.  I also used two jalapeños.  This turned out a little spicy for me so you might want to substitute some bell peppers for the hot ones if you don't like it too spicy. 

I'd also recommend putting some foil down on the pan under the peppers because they tend to leak as they roast.

Once the corn is roasted, carefully shuck it.  It'll be hot so let it sit for a few minutes or run it under cold water first.

Use the tip we talked about the other day to remove the corn from the cobs, but don't discard the cobs!

Put the cobs and half the corn in a pot.

Cover with chicken stock.  Bring it to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile take your roasted peppers and place them in a bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap.  This'll generate steam to help the charred pepper skins peel off.

Peel and chop the peppers, removing the seeds.  I used gloves.

While the corn stock is simmering, you can also chop your onion, celery, garlic and potatoes.

And dice the bacon.

In another large pot, brown the bacon.

Once browned, remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon grease from the pot and add in the onions and potatoes.

Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add celery, peppers and garlic and sauté 3 more minutes...

...until softened.  Add the tequila to the veggies.  

Once the corn stock has simmered for 40 minutes, remove the cobs and purée the stock until smooth.  

And add it to the vegetables in the other pot.  Simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then add a cup of cream and the remaining corn kernels.  Bring back to a simmer and get ready to serve!

Fill your bowl with chowder and top with the crumbled bacon and cheese.

Serve with fresh bread.

This turned out pretty spicy. I would use fewer or different peppers next time, but it was extremely tasty.  And I love the corn cooking technique. I'll use it next time we have corn on the cob for dinner.