Smoky Corn Chowder

As another snowstorm rolled through Chicago the other night, I found myself in the mood for a big, steaming bowl of soup.  However, with the roads starting to look a little dicey, I had absolutely no desire to go to the store for ingredients.  Luckily, I had been scouting recipes for corn chowder the week before and found that I could whip up a pretty fantastic bowl of soup simply by raiding my freezer.  I had frozen corn, frozen shrimp, and some leftover frozen bacon - done and done.  Ironic that such a warm, comforting meal started out literally frozen solid!

Smoky Corn Chowder with Bacon and Barbeque Shrimp
(makes about 6 servings) 

4 strips bacon (Get the good stuff.  I'm partial to Trader Joe's Applewood Smoked Bacon)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 16 ounce package frozen corn (or 3-4 cups fresh corn)
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
1/2 cup half and half

To serve:
3-4 large shrimp per serving, peeled and deveined
A few tablespoons of your favorite barbeque sauce

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the bacon and cook until crisp.  Remove the bacon and allow it to drain on paper towels.  Meanwhile, add the onions and red pepper to the dutch oven, along with a big pinch of salt and pepper, and saute until the veggies are soft, about 5-6 minutes.  Next, add the garlic and saute a minute longer.  Add the smoked paprika and flour and stir until incorporated.  Add the chicken broth, making sure to scrape up all that brown bacon goodness from the bottom of your dutch oven as you do so.  Toss in the corn and potatoes, cover the pot, and bring to a boil.  Once the soup has come to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer, covered, until the potatoes are cooked, about 15-20 minutes.  Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.  

At this point, either bust out your trusty immersion blender or ladle a few cups of the soup into a countertop blender.  If using an immersion blender, give it a few good pulses in the soup, just enough to thicken the soup a bit.  You want to make sure it's still nice and chunky!  If using a countertop blender, just pulse the soup a few times and return it to the dutch oven.  Turn off the heat and stir in the half and half.

Season the uncooked shrimp with salt and pepper, then toss them with a little barbeque sauce.  Cook them on a hot grill pan or saute them until just pink.

To serve, ladle the chowder into a big bowl.  Arrange a few shrimp on top and crumble some of the bacon over the chowder.