Chicken Potato Corn and Bean Chowder

Start by cooking 8 ears of fresh corn. When cool, cut the kernels off, then set aside, to add to the soup later. (or use 3-4 cans of corn)

Cut up everything shown in the 6 quart pot. Return it to the pot with 2T EVOO and sauté until it's all cooked about half way.

8oz. apple-gouda chicken sausage
3 med. carrots
6 big garlic cloves
3 sm. yellow onions
1/2 big Vidalia onion
1 long sweet red bell pepper
6 med. Yukon Gold potatoes - scrubbed

Season with black pepper, Lowry's Garlic Salt, 2-3T low sodium chicken Better Than Bouillon. Add 1 quart of chicken stock, and 4 bay leaves. Eventually, you'll add one more quart of stock. Let this all simmer about 20 minutes. You can stop now, cover and refrigerate everything in the pot and resume this tomorrow (which I did since it was late) or keep going.

Stir In:

8oz. frozen skinny green beans - cut up a bit

all the corn kernels.

Simmer this for 10 minutes or so, then add the chopped parsley and cubes of previously made, and frozen, browned butter and flour roux. Bring this to a low boil so the roux will thicken the broth. Cool this slightly so the next addition doesn't curdle. Combine 1 can of a cream-based soup with enough half and half to equal 2 cups, stir in a cup of chicken stock to loosen it up, and pour this into the pot.

Bring this to a low bubble-simmer, then turn off the heat. When this has cooled again, stir in about 8oz. of a good quality cheese spread and 1/2c Sherry cooking wine.

Bring everything back to a low bubble, ladle into big bowls and serve with crusty garlic bread. . .Lin