Chipotle Chicken Corn Chowder and "The Ghost Writer"

Nothing warms you up on a chilly day like a nice bowl of chowder - or as I sometimes like to pronounce it "Chow-dah". One day walking through the market I saw a display for a new flavor of canned soup called Chicken corn and chipotle chowder. While I wasn't tempted to purchase the item, It did trigger my culinary gears and got me thinking I could easily make that myself. I have to say I am very happy with the results and everyone that I have made this chowder for loved it. It's creamy and flavorful and the chipotle gives it just the right amount of heat. It's the perfect soup to warm your body and your taste buds on a chilly day.

4 Boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 bag of frozen corn
1 large bell pepper (preferably red or orange but any color will do)
1 medium sized red onion
4 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of butter
5 tablespoons of all purpose flour
2 canned chipotle peppers
5-7 red potatoes
Two 32oz containers of Chicken stock
1 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper

To start, get your prep work done by washing and chopping the bell pepper, the cloves of garlic, and the onion. Wash the potatoes and cut into fairly small pieces so that they cook quickly once we add them to the chowder. The reason I use red potatoes is that since the skins are tender and flavorful you don't have to peel them. You can use a regular potato if you wish but just be sure to peel them. Once all our chopping is done, melt the butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the peppers and onions are slightly tender. Add the garlic and the bag of corn, mix everything together, and sauté  for another 5 minutes. Have your chicken stock near by for the next step. All at once, add the 5 tablespoons of flour to the vegetables and stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes just so that we are sure to cook off all the raw flour taste. All the vegetables should have a "floury" coating on them. This step is basically making a roux which will help thicken our chowder. Next, pour all the chicken stock into the pot and stir everything together. Now add the potatoes to the chowder and bring the pot to a simmer - a simmer is where steam is rising from the pot but no bubbles are rising to the surface. We cut the potatoes small so they should only take about 20 minutes to cook but test them by poking them with a fork - the fork should easily pierce the potatoes.

While the potatoes are cooking, time to cook the chicken. You can cook your chicken anyway you'd like for the chowder but the best way is to grill them either on the grill or with a grill pan. Just coat the chicken breasts with a little bit of olive oil and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Grill the chicken breast for about 7 minutes on each side or until they are cooked all the way through (no pink on the inside). You can also roast your chicken breasts by placing them in the oven at 375 degrees and roasting them for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once your chicken is cooked, chop the chicken breasts and add them right into the chowder.

In the home stretch now folks! Open the can of chipotle peppers and chop up two of the peppers and add them into the chowder. If you are unsure of how much chipotle you want to use, add one and taste the broth to see if you want to add more. A rule of thumb is you can always add more but you can't take out. chipotle's do have a slight kick to them but they're a flavorful heat. Whatever you don't use out of the can will freeze very nicely in a freezer bag and you'll have them on hand for next time. Stir in the heavy cream and season the chowder to taste with salt and pepper and more chipotle if desired. A nice way to serve the chowder is with some shredded cheddar cheese and some freshly chopped scallions on top. I really think you're all going to enjoy my chipotle chowder so grab a bowl and fire up the DVD/Blu-ray player because it's time for this weeks movie recommendation. While it's not in direct relation to this weeks dish, I still think it's a great dinner to enjoy while viewing Roman Polanski's 2010 film "The Ghost Writer".

Many of you probably never heard of this weeks movie because it's wasn't really pushed to American audiences. Ewan McGregor plays a ghost writer who has just been hired to help the former Prime Minister of England, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) to complete is memoirs. The ghost writer's agent informs him he's being hired due to the recent death of the writer who had previously been assisting Lang with his book. Though he is reluctant at first to take on the task, the lucrative deal is one he can't pass up and he soon finds himself traveling to Lang's private island somewhere off the coast of New England. Almost immediately after McGregor's character takes on the job, Adam Lang comes under fire with claims and accusations of war crimes while he was in office. As the ghost writer conducts his research for the book, he begins to question not only Adam Lang but whether or not the death of the writer before him was indeed accidental.

Now in the midst of trying to uncover the secret he believed the previous ghost writer uncovered and was murdered for, McGregor's character soon fears for his own life. As he dives deeper into the mystery of Lang's war crime charges and the death of his predecessor, his own safety is now on the line and he begins to worry more about his own life rather than finishing the book on schedule. Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, and Tom Wilkinson all play wonderful supporting roles in "The Ghost Writer". Roman Polanski directed a marvelous and thrilling film that swept the European film awards in 2010. If this film was never on your radar before, I certainly hope it is now. It's an entertaining film with a gripping story line and one I hope you make an effort to watch in the near future. If my recommendation didn't sell you on the film, here is the trailer for a sneak peak.