Corn-Crab Chowder

This is my reward to myself for hitting 10,000 words.  Yes, more writing becomes my treat.  I haven't been doing much cooking anyway.  When I first signed up for NaNo, I wasn't getting enough hours at work.  That doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.  Lucky me.

I'm in the middle of another really painful crown.  I'm surprised I still have anything left on my dental insurance.  Looking for something soft to chew, I remembered this idea and then threw a bunch of other stuff into it.  This soup is almost as thick as a stew, but it covers all the nutritional bases.

1/2 C dry black beans or one 1 lb can, drained and rinsed
1 C diced onion
2 Tb minced garlic, roasted if you have it
2 Tb butter
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 C frozen corn kernels
12 oz crab flakes, real or imitation
1 medium russet potato, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
1 C white wine
salt and pepper to taste

1.  If starting with dry beans, soak 4-6 hours.  Drain and rinse.  Refill saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer beans for 2 hours, drain and rinse again.  Set aside until ready to use.

2.  In a medium saucepan, bring potatoes, corn, and carrot to a boil in lightly salted water.  Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

3.  While vegetables are simmering, melt butter in a soup pot.  Add onions and any raw garlic and cook until soft and translucent.  If using roasted, add after onions are cooked.  Add flour and cook until absorbed by the butter.

4.  Add 1 C milk to soup pot and stir to combine.  Over medium heat, cook until thickened.  Add wine and cook again until thickened.  Add other cup of milk and cook until thickened.  Add beans and vegetables and combine.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  If too thick, add more milk.  Serve hot.

Serves 6

Difficulty rating :)