Sweetcorn and Roast Carrot Chowder

Sweetcorn and Roast Carrot Chowder served in homemade bread bowls with a Cheesy Cauliflower Crumble. 

I adore the Autumn; chillier evenings, snuggling by the fire and the promise of what’s to come but I particularly like it because it offers me the chance to slow down and reconnect with food and my favourite fresh autumnal ingredients. 

And that’s what I love about online grocery Abel and Cole and their campaign to Unprocess Your Food.  This mixed vegetable chowder that I’m serving in homemade bread bowls is the perfect example of that connection to delicious, organic ingredients that bring so much joy to cooking and of course eating. 

I’m serving it with a cheesy cauliflower crumble sprinkled over the top and it was truly autumnal magic, oh and you get to eat the bowl too!

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Recipe:

for the crusty bread bowls: (makes 4)

• 400g strong white bread flour
• 200g wholemeal bread flour
• 450ml water
• 1 x 7g sachet dried fast-action yeast
• one teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

for the soup:

• 2 corn on the cob
• 5 medium onions – chopped
• 1 onion – finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery – finely chopped
• 4 medium potatoes – peeled and chopped
• 5 clove of garlic 
• fresh thyme
• fresh rosemary
• 1/2 litre vegetable stock
• 1/2 litre milk
• 50g strong cheddar – finely grated
• salt and pepper

the cheesy cauliflower crumb:

• ½ cauliflower – chopped
• The reserved insides of the bread bowls
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50g strong cheddar (or similar)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh thyme

The Bread Bowls

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and knead for 10 mins. (This will take the same time but with less work on your arms if you use a stand mixer with a dough hook.)

Place the kneaded dough into an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. (Or place the whole lot in an oiled plastic container with a lid.) Let it slowly prove for at least 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Prep a roasting tin by lining it with parchment.  Pre-heat your oven to 220C (fan) or as hot as it will go.)

Knock back your dough and tip it onto an oiled work surface and then divide it into 6 equal portions.  Don’t worry if they’re not exactly the same size. Shape each portion into a ball by pulling up the edges and bringing them into the middle and go around the piece until a ball shape is formed.  Lay all 6 into the roasting tin.  They may be touching and this is fine.  Cover with a cloth for 30 mins.

Spritz the top of each bun with water and dust with flour. Bake for 40 mins or until golden and crispy.  Set aside on a wire rack to cool.  Once cool, slice the top off and hollow out the centre a little. Keep the insides for the cauliflower crumb.  

The Soup

Pre-heat the oven to 170C

Peel and clean the corn on the cob. Carefully run a sharp knife down the cob to remove the sweetcorn.  Set aside. Place the carrots and garlic cloves onto a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with rosemary.  Drizzle with oil and roast for 20 mins until they start to soften and pick up a little colour.  Set aside. 

Gently sauté the onions and celery in a little olive oil, for about 5 mins until they begin to soften. Add the potatoes and let them gently cook for another 5 mins until they begin to soften. Season with salt and pepper. Place the lid on and let the veg sweat on a gentle heat for a further 6 mins.

Stir in the sweetcorn and the carrots and then the stock and milk.  Let it simmer away gently for 10 mins. Stir in the grated cheddar.

Allow the soup to cool by half, then add some salt and pepper.  With a hand-held blender blitz it a little.  You still want some chunks and some creamier bits. Taste and season again accordingly. Set aside whilst you make the cauliflower crumb.

For the cheesy cauliflower crumb

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend unto a rough breadcrumb texture.  Lay this out onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy.  

Serve the soup in the hallowed out bread bowls with the cauliflower crumb sprinkled on top.

For more soup recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.

Eat and of course, enjoy!