By Al Benson
Yorkville resident Jeanne Leifheit took first place in an annual Norwegian soup cookoff Sunday, Feb. 1, at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Montgomery.
Members voted Leifheit’s “Potato Corn Chowder” best of eight homemade entries. Leifheit was awarded a traveling gold-colored soup pot by Barb Johnson, Polar Star cultural director and last year’s winner.
Tied for second place were “Midnight Mushroom” by Kimberly Rubis of Montgomery and “Pea Soup” by Carol Hirsch, Yorkville. Rounding out contestants were Carol Devito, Lombard, mushroom soup; Barb Johnson, Yorkville and Lori Nolan, Elgin, Norwegian beef and root vegetable; Kelly Welin, Wheaton, cheese and chicken soup and Maryann Doetschman, pea soup.
Polar Star Lodge 5-472, meeting near Chicago at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Montgomery, is a member of Sons of Norway, a Minneapolis, Minn.-based non-profit founded in 1895 to promote Norwegian culture and heritage and offer financial products and services to members. The organization offers activities including language classes, cooking classes and sports programs to celebrate members’ Norwegian heritage.
The organization has over 330 locally-governed lodges in the United States, Canada, and Norway. Members celebrate their Norwegian heritage at their local lodge and participate in district lodge activities and events.
For more information, call 630-553-7389 or visit polarstarlodge.com/5.html for more information.
Recipe for “Potato Corn Chowder”
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes
1 pound bacon
4 teaspoons flour
2 1/3 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 can creamed corn
1 pound frozen corn, thawed
Directions
1. Boil potatoes until cooked.
2. Brown the bacon.
3. Removed cooked bacon and sprinkle flour on bacon grease. Cook until thick.
4. Combine potato water, chicken broth, half and half, and thickened bacon grease. Stir until thickened.
5. Add potatoes, bacon, creamed corn, and bagged corn.
—Al Benson