Corn chowder shouldn’t taste like seafood chowder that somebody forgot to add the seafood to. Trouble is, most do. Start with the corn – only fresh ears will do. And whole milk will give the recipe a delectable touch:

Corn chowder

4 cups milk

7 ears corn

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 cups finely diced potatoes (about 1 large potato or 2 small)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a low simmer. Meanwhile, cut the corn kernels from the cobs. To do this, stand each ear on its wide end. Use a serrated knife to saw down the length of the ear. Set kernels aside. When the milk is warm, add the corn cobs and simmer 10 minutes. While the cobs simmer, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, potatoes and thyme and saute about 8 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Add the garlic and saute another minute.

Remove the cobs from the milk and discard them. Transfer the potato and onion mixture into the milk. Add the corn kernels and simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes two to three servings.