Ham and Cheese Chowder.

This recipe for ham chowder is full of ham, bacon, sweet potato and cheese. What is there not to like about that?

I saw this recipe when browsing the Internet for soup recipes. I immediately thought I would have a go at making it. I made a few changes to the recipe because of the ingredients it had in it and what I could realistically get locally, and I changed the method to fit with the kitchen appliances I had.

Ingredients.

• 1 large onion chopped.
• 1 cup of chopped carrots.
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
• 3 cups of full-fat milk.
• 1 ½ cups of water.
• 2 medium-sized diced sweet potatoes.
• 1 small can (15oz) of sweet corn.
• 2 chicken stock cubes.
• Pepper and salt to taste.
• 3 cups of shredded cheese.
• 2 cups of cooked ham.
• 1 cup of diced bacon bits.

 Instructions.

1. In a frying pan, cook the bacon bits until crisp, then remove and save.
2. In the same pan and the bacon fat, saute the onion and carrots until tender and then stir in the flour to mix it all up.
3. Tip the mixture into a large saucepan. 
4. Slowly add the milk and water to the mixture in the large saucepan and continue to stir. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for two minutes while continuing to stir until thickened.
5. Add the sweet potato, sweet corn, chicken stock, salt and pepper to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
6. Add the shredded cheese and ham and continue to heat until the cheese has melted.
7. Stir in the bacon bits, then serve.