Corn Chowder

This recipe was given to me by an American friend, hence the quantities aren't in the usual British measures! I made sense of it though, so I'm sure you can too - just remember this uses American tablespoons, which is a slightly smaller measure than the UK's tablespoon (15ml as opposed to the UK's 18ml)!

• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 6 tablespoons onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup celery, large dice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 2 cups raw potato, peeled and cut in 1/2" cubes
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart Half & Half

Method

On medium heat, melt butter, then simmer onion and celery for 5 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add water, potatoes, corn and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are barely tender. Whisk the flour into 1 cup of the Half & Half, and stir into the soup. Add the remaining 3 cups of Half & Half. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the soup has thickened to a creamy consistency. Correct the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. In order to correct the consistency or the soup you may add a little milk to make it thinner. To make the soup thicker, simmer another 5-10 minutes.

(Yields 2 1/2 quarts)

When I make this, I miss out the celery as I can't abide the nasty stuff, and substitute broccoli. I only use about half this amount of sugar too.