Mark Bittman's Basic Corn Chowder

Craig Lee for The New York Times

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6  ears of corn
• 1  tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grape seed
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 2  medium potatoes, peeled and diced
•  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2  tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 1  cup whole or low-fat milk
• ½  cup chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation:

1. Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.
   
2. Put butter or oil in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.
   
3. After corncobs have cooked at least 10 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture; bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.

Tip:

Curried corn chowder: In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.