Corn Chowder - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
2 carrots, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes the size of corn kernels
4 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 cup half-and-half

Preparation

Cook onion, celery and bell pepper in butter and oil over moderately-low heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt, carrots and potato and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender (if using frozen corn, add at this point too).
Add fresh corn and simmer 5 minutes.
Discard bay leaf.
Transfer 2 cups of the solids with a slotted spoon to a blender, add half and half and puree.
Add puree back to the hot soup and heat.
Season to taste.