Take a classic like leek & potato soup and boost it with corn, cheddar, chicken, and delightfully crunchy homemade croutons and what do you get? This one-pot wonder chowder made in a hurry to satisfy any fans of the original. Any time of year when a chill wind wanders past… like now on the Spring equinox when it’s still sub-zero around these parts… (long pause)… Canada.
There really is no recipe as such. Size all the ingredient amounts to fit the size pot you have and what’s on hand in the pantry. No, really. You can’t mess this up.
The croutons are similarly free-form using day old bread cubed to your preferred size and well-tossed with olive oil and a good dose of fine sea salt. Add an opportunistic array of spices like fresh peppercorn, garlic granules, paprika (smoked perhaps?), crushed chile flakes, a scant few ground fennel seeds, etc. Spread in a single layer and bake until crispy in a hot oven. Make them your own and make a lot because once they’re crunchy, they’ll last weeks in airtight storage.
