Quick Corn Chowder - in an Instant Pot

This quick corn chowder is creamy and rich. It’s made with cream, cream cheese and plenty of sharp cheddar, not to mention tender red potatoes and crispy bacon. You can enjoy this savory warming soup in fewer than 30 minutes because instead of a long, slow simmer, it’s cooked under pressure in an Instant Pot.

Way back in 2016, I ordered an Instant Pot from Amazon. We were only in the States for a few weeks and, much to my chagrin, I never got around to trying it out before we headed home to Dubai. It never even made it out of the box. Of course, the Instant Pot couldn’t come with because it’s 110V and Dubai runs on 220V.

Since then I’ve traveled back and forth from overseas to Houston, only managing to get organized enough to make one recipe in the Instant Pot. It was delicious - a carrot snack cake, but still. Only one in almost four years of holidays with the Instant Pot. Sad, right?

That’s why I’ve joined a new bloggers group called Multicooker Monday where we will be sharing recipes using Instant Pots, slow cookers, sous vide precision cookers and even air fryers. This is our inaugural post. I hope this is the motivation I need to use the darn Instant Pot more. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see what everyone else has made today.

Quick Corn Chowder

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this recipe can also be made using a traditional pressure cooker, or go old school and slow simmer the ingredients until the corn is tender and the potatoes are cooked through, before adding the cheeses, cream and milk in a stovetop soup pot. My recipe has been adapted from one on Taste of Home.

Ingredients
3 thick cut slices smoked bacon (about 6 oz or 170g)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups or 830ml chicken stock
3 cups or 16 oz or 450g fresh or frozen corn
4 medium (or 8 small) red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
4 oz or 113g sharp cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for garnish, if desired
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 oz or 113g cream cheese
1/2 cup or 120ml heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
Salt to taste
To garnish: green onion tops, chopped

Method
If you are using medium sized red potatoes, peel them and cut them into 1/2-inch or 1cm cubes. If you are using the baby red potatoes just cut them in half. Put the potatoes in a bowl with cool tap water and set them aside.

Cut bacon slices in small pieces and put them in the Instant Pot in as close to a single layer as you can manage.

Press the Sauté button and adjust to high heat. Cook the bacon bits scooting them around with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to make sure they are all starting to crisp up. Keep stirring and frying until they reach your desired crispness, about 7-8 minutes.

Scoop the bacon bits out with a slotted spoon and put them on a paper towel to absorb the grease. Pour the bacon grease out into a heatproof measuring cup and then put 2 tablespoons of it back into the Instant Pot. (Save the rest of the bacon fat in a clean jar in your refrigerator for use in another recipe.)

With the Instant Pot still on sauté, add in the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is translucent.

Add in the chicken stock, corn, red potatoes, the two ground peppers and the sugar.

Lock the lid on your Instant Pot and make sure the vent is closed. The original instructions say to select manual setting; adjust the pressure to high and set the time for 15 minutes. I have one of the older Instant Pots so the instructions are a little different for mine. I select Soup, then adjust to high and set the time. Yours may differ as well so consult your owner’s manual.

When the cooking time is up, quick-release the pressure according to the manufacturer's directions.

Combine the grated cheddar with the cornstarch and mix well to coat. This is a great way to ensure that you don't create any lumps when adding the cornstarch to the soup.

Once again, select the sauté setting on your Instant Pot and adjust for low heat. Pour the cream and milk into the chowder. Stir well. Add the cream cheese cut in cubes. (Most of it sunk immediately!)

Add in the cornstarch-coated cheese and stir well.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the chowder thickens slightly and the cream cheese is completely melted, about 6-8 minutes. Taste for salt and add a little, if needed. Since chicken stock and cheese can both be quite salty, I often find that no additional salt is necessary for my taste. You do you.

Add in the crispy bacon, keeping back a little for garnish. Serve each bowl sprinkled with green onion tops, the reserved bacon, and if desired, (DO IT!) additional grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Super big thanks to Sue of Palatable Pastime for creating the multicooker group and hosting our inaugural event. I am looking forward to using my Instant Pot more. Check out the other multicooker recipes below!

• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Instant Pot Chicken and Mushrooms from Making Miracles
• Instant Pot Spaghetti from Palatable Pastime
• Quick Corn Chowder - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love

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Linguine Pescatore #FishFridayFoodies

Linguine Pecatore or fisherman’s linguine features shrimp, squid, scallops, clams and mussels in a fresh tomato sauce tossed with pasta. This delicious main course is as fragrant as it is delicious. Squeeze on a little lemon juice for a bright, flavorful mouthful!

Several years ago I had the good fortune to accompany my husband on a business trip to Italy. We landed in Bologna and took a train up to Venice for a couple of days of holiday before renting a car and driving south down the east coast to Ravenna for the business meetings.

One evening while in Venice, we happened upon a little trattoria with just a few tables down a back alley. We ordered the pasta pescatore, a dish made for two and a specialty of the house. It was so good that sometimes I even eat it in my dreams. This is my recreation of my memory of that dish. I’m not sure anything can live up to seafood eaten on a wonderful Venetian holiday, right near the sea, but this comes close.

Linguine Pescatore

For this dish, I used a pack of frozen mixed seafood that included raw shrimp, squid and scallops as well as cooked green mussels, in addition to fresh shrimp and live clams. Substitute your favorite seafood. If you can’t find flavorful ripe tomatoes, by all means use canned Italian tomatoes. In a dish this simple, good tomatoes make a huge difference.

Ingredients
3 vine-ripen tomatoes (about 3 cups, chopped)
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
10 cleaned clams
1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine
1 1/2 cups or 180ml seafood stock
1 lb or 450g frozen raw mixed seafood, thawed
12oz or 340g fresh shrimp, (about 10 large 13/15 count/lb) peeled and cleaned
Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped (reserve a little for serving)
Black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 lb or 450g linguine or your pasta of choice

To serve:
Chopped parsley
Juice of half a lemon

Method
Core and chop the tomatoes and set them aside, being sure to catch and save any of the lovely juice that runs out.

Peel and mince your onion and garlic. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until they are softened. Be careful not to let them brown.

Add the wine and seafood stock and bring to a boil, then add the clams and cook, covered, till they open, about 4-6 minutes.

Discard any clams that did not open. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the rest of the clams into a bowl and set them aside. I had a three that I thought I was going to have to toss out but finally, at six minutes, they sprung open! It was a tense minute or two while I regretted only buying 10 and no spares.

Add the tomatoes and juice to the pan, along with the parsley, a few good grinds of black pepper and crushed red pepper.

Cook until the tomatoes soften but are still nice and brightly red, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta, with a couple of teaspoons of salt.

Add the rest of the seafood to the saucepan and simmer until they are cooked and/or warmed through, in the case of the frozen mix.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just before al dente. For instance, if the package says cook till al dente for 10 minutes, set your timer for nine. Drain well and put the pasta back in the pot. Pour the sauce on, adding the clams back in as you do. Toss it gently. Put the lid on and leave the linguine to finish cooking in the sauce for just a few minutes.

Taste for salt and add more if needed. (Mine did not.) Serve with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and parsley to garnish. You can, of course, serve it directly from the pasta pot. I only transferred mine back into the saucepan for photos.

Enjoy!

This month in my Fish Friday Foodies group, we are all sharing Mediterranean recipes. Many thanks to our Fish Friday host Sue of Palatable Pastime and group doyenne, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Baccala Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Seafood Paella from Making Miracles
• Greek Seafood Rice from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Greek Bronzini Pan-fried Paleo Dish from Of Goats and Greens
• Zarzuela de Marisco from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Linguine Pescatore from Food Lust People Love
• Moroccan Chermoula Baked Fish Fillet for One from Sneha's Recipe
• Coquilles St Jacques from Caroline's Cooking
• Mediterranean Shrimp from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt #BundtBakers

This fudgy flourless chocolate Bundt is so tender and moist, it’s almost like a very rich, firm baked pudding. Fudgy in flavor, light in texture. Made with only five ingredients, it couldn’t be easier!

After all the baking and cooking that goes on during the holidays, our Bundt Bakers host, Patricia from Patty’s Cake chose to uncomplicate our lives by asking for Bundt recipes that need only five ingredients. Sounds simple, right? Piece of cake. This was a much harder challenge than I thought it would be!

I searched my archives and recipe files first to no avail when suddenly I remembered a Sunday Supper group event I had participated in almost six years ago. The theme was five ingredient (or less) recipes and I shared a beef bourguignon made with succulent short ribs, smoked bacon and dried mushrooms. OMG, it was so rich and delicious. (For that five ingredient or less challenge, salt and pepper didn’t count.)

Surely someone had made a cake I could bake in a Bundt pan! Turns out there was just one. Jane from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner shared a flourless chocolate cake. Score! Mine is adapted from hers. If you love little bakers in the kitchen, you'll appreciate Jane's helpers on that post. Adorable!

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt

If you’ve ever needed an easy dessert for gluten free friends and family who cannot do nuts, I can highly recommend this recipe. In Jane’s photos she added orange zest by accident and had to scoop it out as it was in violation of the five-ingredient rule. I couldn’t add it either for the same reason, but I think orange in this dark chocolate cake would be wonderful. As is, it is fabulous served alone or with vanilla or mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Ingredients
1 cup or 227g butter (plus more to liberally grease the Bundt pan)
1/4 cup or 22g cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting for the pan)
8 oz or 227g dark (semi-sweet) chocolate
5 eggs
1 cup or 200g sugar

Optional to serve: a sprinkling of icing sugar and/or ice cream

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10-cup Bundt pan by liberally buttering it and then dusting it well with cocoa. Set aside.

Heat the dark chocolate and butter slowly in a double boiler or with short zaps in the microwave in a microwaveable bowl. Either way, stir frequently, until the chocolate is just melted.

Sift the cocoa into the sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and beat well.

Add the melted chocolate and butter to the egg mixture. Again beat well, until thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it is just set.

It will fall a little as it cools, but don’t let that worry you. It just means a more dense, fudgy cake. All good!

Leave it to cool for about 10-15 minutes and then loosen the edges with a toothpick. Cover the top of the Bundt pan with the wire rack and invert the cake. If you've been trying to live your life right, it comes out intact. (Just kidding. :) It's actually dependent on how well you buttered and cocoa-ed the pan. But being a good human being can't hurt, right?)

Optional for serving, a light dusting of icing sugar. Or ice cream.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to Patricia of Patty’s Cake for hosting this month! Check out all the lovely five-ingredient Bundts we are sharing today.

• Chocolate Mayonnaise Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake
• Easy Vanilla Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Five-Ingredient Blueberry Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Mini Bundts by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Impossible 5 Ingredients Bundt by Sneha’s Recipe
• Melted Ice Cream Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
• Roasted Squash Brown Butter Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar
• Strawberry Banana Bundt by Sweet Sensations

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

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