La Vista Plantation B&B

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Heritage Recipe

Corn Chowder

La Vista Plantation B&B Website

This chowder was the first course of a lovely dinner prepared for our family by our frequent guests, Bob and Laura Beeman and their daughter, Alisha, from Meridan, Connecticut. The Beemans, who are avid Civil War re-enactors, cooked a beef roast on a colonial reflector oven in the fireplace of the English basement apartment. Also on the menu were peas with mint sprigs gleaned from La Vista's gardens and a magnificent English Trifle for dessert. What a treat for the Lucky Hosts! ....Michele Schiesser

Ingredients

3/4 to 1 pound salt pork

2 medium onions, chopped coarsely

3 to 4 large potatoes, diced small

2 cups water

6 large soda crackers (optional)

1/2 pint light cream

1/2 cup milk

2 cups shoe peg corn (white)

salt & pepper to taste

paprika

Slice salt pork 1/8 inch and place in preheated pot; fry to render the fat. Remove the salt pork, drain on paper towel and reserve meat. Add onion to the pan and cook until slightly browned. Remove from pan. If desired, deglaze pan with 2 ounces white wine.

Remove all but 2 Tablespoons of fat from pan. Add onion, water, and potatoes and cook at low heat 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add fully cooked corn and heat for 5 minutes more. Add milk and slowly add cream until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper. Heat on Low until hot. Do not boil!

Serve with paprika and optional garnish of crackers. Sprinkle crumbled salt pork on top.

• La Vista Plantation on VirtualCities.com
• La Vista Plantation B&B Website
• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)