Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Chowder

I have started a "soup swap" with a few colleagues at work. We are taking turns making soups and bringing them in to share. We're just getting started, so we'll see if it lasts, but hopefully we'll get in at least one good round.

Abby got us started last week with a spicy Thai soup that had a coconut broth, lemongrass and shrimp. This week I decided to make Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Chowder from Foster's Market in Durham.

Here are my containers stacked in the fridge, and if you look closely, you can see my secret ingredient. The recipe calls for sauteeing onion, leeks and celery in butter.

However, since I had bacon fat remaining from my mac 'n' cheese, I decided to use that instead. It may look a little grody when it cools and sits on top, but it is delicioso. (I had a bowl and a half on Sunday night after I made it.)

The cookbook notes you can make all sorts of tweaks and substitutions to this -- add shrimp or crab, use another kind of peppers, etc. I may try it again with sweet potatoes.

Mid-week Update: Everyone who has eaten this soup has asked for the recipe. It's a hit!