spicy corn and red bean chowder

I made this soup for our Advent Fest at church today, mostly because these were the ingredients I had in my kitchen. I wasn't really measuring things when I made it, but this is a reasonable apporximation.

1 stick butter
1 onion, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1 cup celery, small dice
3 cups frozen corn

Melt butter, then add other ingredients and sauté over medium heat. I like to keep the pot covered to keep in all the juices the vegetables create. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent and slowly add

1/2 cup flour

and cook for another three or four minutes, to make a roux. Add

4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons cumin powder
salt and pepper
2 or 3 bay leaves

and cook, stirring occasionally once everything is mixed well, until soup begins to thicken. Add

2 cans red beans
2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes with green chiles, drained

and continue to heat until everything is heated through and soup is thick.

Peace,
Milton