FOR THE CHOWDER
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy based pot and add the chopped onion, potato, celery, pepper and crushed garlic
Fry for about 2 minutes and then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the water, season to taste and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
Add the beans, milk and corn. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve with the grated cheese and croutons.
FOR THE CROUTONS
Simmer2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, ¼ teaspoon of dried mixed herbs and a ¼ teapoon of crushed chillies in a pan. Allow this to simmer just until the butter or margarine has melted.
Remove from the heat and allow the flavours to infuse while you chop up your bread.
Cut up a ¼ loaf of bread into 3 inch cubes. Drizzle the oil or roll the bread cubes in the oil until evenly coated.
You can either bake the seasoned bread cubes at 180°C in the oven for 15 minutes or fry them in a pan, on the stove for 15 minutes, just until they are crunchy. Serve with the chowder topped with grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.