Chipotle corn chowder

originally submitted by Anonymous.

Ingredients
bacon

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 stalks celery

carrots

1 jalapeno or serano chili

small yellowflesh and/or purple potatoes, cut into quarters

corn kernels (usually use 2 cans if no fresh corn is available)

chicken stock (if you have fresh corn available, include as many corn cobs and as much cornsilk as you can when making it to add extra corn flavor to the stock)

flour (about 2 tbsp)

milk or cream

2 or 3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo

paprika

chili powder (ancho works well)

sweet (not green) bell pepper

Instructions
Cook your bacon over low heat until crispy and the fat is rendered.

Remove, drain over paper towel, and pour off most of the bacon fat.

In the bacon fat that's left, sautee your onion, garlic, diced carrot, celery, and jalapeno until the onion is softened.

Add your flour and cook 2 minutes or so, until the roux is lightly browned.

Pour in your stock (only add stock to make up about half the volume of the soup you want to make; if you want your chowder richer, add less).

Add in your chipotle, chili powder, paprika, and diced potatoes, and cook until the potatoes are mostly cooked through.

Add in your bell pepper and corn, and cook until everything is cooked to your liking.

Season to taste.

Add in your milk or cream, taste and season again, and bring back up just to a simmer before serving.

If you want you can add a bit of honey to the soup with the milk or cream to add a bit of extra sweetness; I like to do this if I make the soup a bit spicier than usual, it's a nice balance.

Stir in your crispy bacon right at the end, so it stays crispy-ish. If you want a bit more bacon flavor in your chowder and don't mind your bacon being a bit soggy, you can add it in earlier; some of the flavor is extracted to the soup itself, but the bacon's texture isn't as good imo.