Cambria Corn Chowder

The first time I tasted this soup, I thought to myself, "What is in this? It's savory. It's sweet. It's got a little kick. It's delicious!  And what in the name of Sam Hill is Cambria?"  (I assumed it was some ecuadorian spice because my friend, Carol Snell, made it and she had at one time lived in Ecuador.  


But you know what happens when you assume. . . )


In case you really want to know, and because I love a good trivia fact, Cambria is a little coastal village in California that I guess must make a mean corn chowder, or they have a bunch of corn farmers there.  IDK which, and it doesn't really matter, because whatever the reason, those little folks down there in Cambria, California, make a wicked corn chowder.



If you are looking for an incredibly fast, incredibly delicious soup for these cold winter days, then you are going to love this.



Enough with my jibber-jabber.  Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:
1 Onion (diced)
1 Large Potato (diced small)
1 Cup of Water
2 Cups of Half and Half (I use Fat Free and it's just as delicious)
1 pound of bacon
1 pound of ground mild italian sausage
1 2oz jar pimentos
3 15oz cans of creamed corn
1 4oz can of diced green chilies
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Salt and Pepper to taste.


Directions:
Cook the bacon by cutting the bacon into bite-sized pieces and cooking until crispy. 

I love a recipe that starts with "Cook the bacon . . . "  


Drain and set aside.  


Pardon my very terrible picture, but isn't
that bacon gonna be yummy!


Brown the sausage in the same pan that you cooked the bacon in. (Yes, it matters. do you seriously want to waste the deliciousness of those bacon renderings? But in case you are the really observant kind, you'll notice I *did* change pans. Don't do what I do. Do what I say.)

What's a rendering you ask?  Why it's a fancy culinary term for the little pieces of bacon that got stuck to the bottom of the pan after you cooked it and drained off the grease. YUM!


(I don't have a picture of this stage.  I got a little carried away tasting those homemade bacon bits and forgot to take the picture.)


Before the sausage is all the way cooked, add in the diced onions, the garlic salt and salt and pepper and continue to cook.

Yeah, I know, the picture is terrible.
Someday I'm going to remember to
turn my stupid phone when I take a
picture!



Meanwhile, in the pan that the actual soup is going to cook in (I recommend a 6qt. dutch oven)


This kind.  






Not this kind. (sorry I couldn't resist)







Cook your diced up potato in 1 cup of water.




Okay, this is technically a picture of the bacon still cooking. But if you look back at the back of it, you'll see the potato.


Yeah, I forgot again.      That bacon . . . so distracting . . .




Once the potato is tender, stir in all the other ingredients (well, everything EXCEPT the bacon!)

To recap, don't drain the potato.  Just add the sausage and onions, the corn, the pimentos, the green chilies, and the half and half to the potato and water.

Cook slowly, very slowly, for as long as you want until it's as thick as you want.

Then serve with that yummy bacon and heck, why not some grated cheese too!

For the love of cheese and bacon, this is so good.  

Enjoy!