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Crunchy Corn Chowder

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Crunchy Corn Chowder

Let’s be real: most corn chowder recipes are bland, beige, and barely qualify as food. This? This Crunchy Corn Chowder actually tastes like something. It’s sweet, chunky, smoky, and a little spicy if you want it to be. It's perfect for fresh summer corn, or using up that bag of sad corn in your freezer or that rogue can in the back of your cupboard year round.

No twee drizzle of cream, no micro herbs. Just a big pot of comfort, thick enough to coat a spoon and punchy enough to make your taste buds remember they have a job.

🌽 What the Hell Is Corn Chowder?

If soup and stew had a creamy little love child, and that child grew up on butter and carbs, you’d get corn chowder. It’s a hearty, chunky soup packed with sweetcorn, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bacon, and always attitude. It really is the ultimate comfort bowl, especially when you crank the flavour.

🧈 Why This One’s Better Than Yours

  • No skim milk. This is full-fat business.
  • It's full of veggies and packs all of your 5 a day in one bowl.
  • Smoky bacon base (vegetarians can skip it, but you’ll miss it).
  • Optional cayenne pepper, chopped jalapeño or chili flakes for heat.
  • It doesn’t taste like wallpaper paste.

Crunchy Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

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Creamy, smoky, and packed with flavour — this corn chowder recipe is comfort food done right. Made with bacon, corn, and zero bullshit.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Calories: 451
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 125 g bacon diced
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 2 large carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 500 g corn kernels
  • 3 medium potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1000 ml chicken stock (or corn stock, see notes)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 500 ml whole milk
  • 250 ml cream
  • 2 teaspoon salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper ground, to taste
  • 100 g cheddar cheese to serve
  • 3 scallions diced, to serve

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Heat Dutch oven over a medium high heat and add diced bacon. Cook until crispy and remove bacon bits, leaving fat in pot.
    Add carrots, onions and celery and cook until soft. Add potatoes and cook until starting to soften. Add flour and stir for a few minutes to distribute.
    Stir in stock and smoked paprika. If you are using fresh corn, add at this stage, if using frozen or canned corn, hold off for now.
    Cook until potatoes are just tender, stirring regularly to ensure nothing sticks. You can mash some in to thicken the stock at this stage, but if you prefer them in chunks, just carry on.
    Add the corn (if using canned or frozen) and milk. Cook until heated through and add cream. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more milk or stock until chowder is at your desired thickness.
    Serve into bowls and top with cheddar, scallions and reserved bacon bits.

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 16gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1017mgPotassium: 906mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 4091IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 224mgIron: 2mg

Notes

If you want to maximise the corn flavour, make corn stock! Remove the corn kernels from 5 or 6 ears of corn. Save any corn silk, husks and the ears. Place into a pot with an onion cut in half, a roughly chopped carrot and stick of celery, a bay leaf, and a sprig of fresh thyme and parsley. Top with chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or so and strain. Use in place of the chicken stock above. 
Leave out the bacon and double the smoked paprika for a vegetarian version. 
Add some cayenne pepper to taste if you like a little kick. 

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'Nduja Breakfast Burrito (The Best Kind of Morning Chaos)

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A 'Nduja Breakfast Burrito to cure any hangover.

It's early days in this forked adventure, and I promise this will not just be a breakfast sandwich blog. This 'nduja breakfast burrito is just what happens when Taco Tuesday goes rogue and you wake up to a delivery of fresh ‘nduja straight from Italy.

So... what the fuck is 'nduja?

Let’s get this out of the way: it’s pronounced “en-DOO-ya”, not “nuh-doo-jah” or “whatever-the-hell-that-is.” And it’s basically Italy’s answer to, “What if sausage could be spreadable, spicy, and sexy as hell?”

Born in Calabria (the toe of the boot, for those who fell asleep in geography class) ’nduja is a fermented, soft, pork sausage made with chili peppers, fat, and witchcraft. It’s smoky, meaty, and just hot enough to remind you that you’re alive.

You don’t slice it. You spread it, melt it into eggs, stir it into pasta, slap it on pizza, or if you’re living your best breakfast life, throw it into a burrito with leftover salsa, eggs, cheese and zero regrets. You can actually buy special burners (think aromatherapy type things) that you pop the sausage in to warm it up and make it spreadable.

It’s not polite. It’s not delicate. It’s unapologetically bold, messy, and fucking addictive. Like butter with a vendetta. Like pepperoni that got spicy, drunk, and started yelling about life choices.

In short: if you haven’t tried ’nduja yet, fix your life. You can get it at any good Italian deli or if you don't have one, or haven't found one yet, like me, you can get it on Amazon, direct from the boot itself or at an Italian shop online!

Let's get cooking.

This 'nduja breakfast burrito is a full-on morning indulgence: leftover homemade salsa, creamy sliced avocado, oozy melted cheese, and ‘nduja-scrambled eggs all wrapped up like they’ve got secrets. Then we slap on some crunch with baby gem, diced onion, and fresh coriander. Want it messier? Douse it in chipotle crema or sour cream and let the magic happen.

It’s not traditional. It’s not pretty. But it is hot, loud, and outrageously delicious. Just like it should be.

Naughty Nduja Breakfast Burrito

Naughty 'Nduja Breakfast Burrito

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Spicy ‘nduja meets leftover taco night in this bold, flavour-packed breakfast burrito with eggs, avocado, salsa, cheese, and chipotle crema. Not traditional. Just f*cking delicious.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Fusion, Italian, Mexican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 flour tortilla
  • 1 handful your favourite cheese I like a mix of mozzarella and cheddar
  • 3 tablespoon salsa
  • 4 slices avocado
  • 2 free-range eggs beaten
  • 2-3 tbso 'Ndjuja to taste
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil / butter
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper ground
  • 3 tablespoon baby gem / romaine lettuce thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon red or white onion finely diced
  • 2 tablespoon coriander chopped
  • 2 tablespoon sour cream / crème fraîche / chipotle crema

Method
 

Cook Eggs
  1. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Season your beaten eggs with salt and pepper, but be conservative as the sausage will be well seasoned.
    Scramble the eggs until just set and add the 'nduja. Cook until well mixed and 'nduja is heated through.
    Set aside
Make Burrito
  1. Place the eggs in the centre of the tortilla. If you made too much, just eat them as you go, you have my permission.
    Top with avocado, salsa and cheese.
    Roll bottom up, tuck in sides and fold into a burrito shape.
    Heat fat in non-stick pan and brown burrito on all sides until cheese is melted and it's golden brown.
Assemble
  1. Cut burrito in half and place on plate.
    Top with lettuce, diced onion, coriander and more salsa if desired. Serve with sour cream or chipotle crema
    Enjoy!

Notes

You can definitely play around with this. A chipotle chutney or spicy ketchup would go well with it, you could also add fried potatoes or peppers. Make it your own and report back! 

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Chipotle Crema

Quick Chipotle Crema

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A simple and quick sour cream or crème fraîche upgrade. Perfect for tacos, burritos or scrambled eggs.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Sauces, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 150 g sour cream or créme fraîche
  • 1 tablespoon chipotles in adobo finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • coriander chopped, for garnish

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Mix all the ingredients, taste for seasoning and adjust. Top with coriander.

Notes

Another one to play around with. Sometimes I add a dash of cumin, sometimes a sweet pepper relish if I want a hint of sweetness. Make it your own! 

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The Ultimate Breakfast Panini

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The Ultimate Breakfast Panini
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I had half an avocado leftover in the fridge and a hankering for chili crisp. This is the result. Took about 15 minutes to throw together and it was fabulous.

Aldi (Hofer) currently have these little paninis on special and they're brilliant, 2 minutes in the toaster and they're ready to go.

You could definitely use this as a starting point and do your own thing. Rocket would make a great addition, as would fresh herbs, sausage and some kind of sweet chutney.

The Ultimate Breakfast Panini

The Ultimate Breakfast Panini

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Crispy bacon, smashed avocado, sweet tomato, grilled onions, and a chili crisp–fried egg, all smashed between golden, toasted bread. It’s spicy, smoky, gooey, and absolutely not sorry.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings: 1 portions
Course: Breakfast, Sandwiches
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 0.5 fresh avocado
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 free-range egg at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon chili crisp
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 1 small tomato sliced
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 ciabatta roll

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Mash your avocado with the lime juice and season to taste.
    Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon to form a triangle, the egg will cook in the centre. Cook for 2-3 minutes until ready to turn.
    Add chili crisp to centre of pan. Turn bacon and add egg to centre. Fry until white is set and yellow remains gooey.
    Toast breadroll if desired.
    Spread both sides of roll with avocado mash, top with vegetables, bacon and the egg. Drizzle with any remaining chili oil in the pan. Eat immediately and don't share!

Notes

You could use this as a starting point for just about anything. It would be great with cilantro mashed into the avocado or other herbs and spices. It would be delicious with some rocket added in and I suppose if you're American, you probably want cheese on it too. 😉 

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The Best Baked Ziti

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We're big Sopranos fans in this house. We are also big Baked Ziti fans. Whenever I make it and there's leftovers, my better half jokes how we should freeze it and if I die, he'll always have my Baked Ziti. Until a conniving Janice-type comes along I guess. 😉

But in all seriousness... this is the real deal. It's so good, classic American-Italian style comfort food. You can't go wrong.

Classic Baked Ziti

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This ain’t your Nonna’s ziti.It’s creamy, cheesy, and picky kid approved — just how Carmela would’ve made it if she didn’t have to deal with Tony’s shit. Layered with a rich ragu, gooey mozzarella, and creamy bechamel and enough comfort to shut anyone up at Sunday dinner.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Olive Oil
1 lb Italian Sausage, removed from casing*
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
500g of passata
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup (2 oz) butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
grating of nutmeg
½ cup grated parmesan
1lb (dry weight) ziti or penne pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups grated mozzarella

Method
 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F. 
    Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain and set aside. 
    Heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onions until slightly softened and add sausage, stirring to break up.  
    Once sausage is browned, add garlic, sugar and oregano. Stir in passata and tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and season with salt, pepper and/or sugar to your taste. 
    Meanwhile, make the béchamel.  Heat butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Add flour and stir for a minute.  Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil.  Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.  
    Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter and layer half the pasta, half the meat sauce and half the béchamel in it.  Repeat and top with mozzarella.  
    Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.  
    Allow to stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you cannot get Italian sausage, use normal Irish, chipolata or herb sausages and add a tablespoon of ground fennel seeds, an additional tablespoon of oregano, teaspoon of basil and a quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes.
This freezes beautifully!

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