Nigella's Chowder with Asian Flavors

Happy Friday!!!!

Books, movies and cooking.  That's what we have been involved with here.  I posted about the British movie nights we have enjoyed at Novel Meals here.  As for books, I'm thoroughly enjoying A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen and have ordered the first book she wrote.  Next I will probably get on book 4 of the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French.  I'd like to finish up the series before summer and only have four books to go.

Cooking - I've been doing a bit of Italian cooking with stuffed shells and lasagna but recently wanted to make a chowder.  No tomatoes or sauce, need to give it a break.

Nigella Lawson has been one of my very favorites cooks for years.  The Nigella Express cookbook gets quite a bit of use and at one time, I was determined to make every single recipe in that cookbook.

I'm not sure when I let that mission go by the wayside but....it did.  Skimming through that cookbook again had me motivated so, I choose this chowder thick with cod and potatoes.  We'll see if I want to tackle more of this book.  There are many old favorites in there.


Nigella's Chowder with Asian Flavors

 

Chardonnay works a treat with this meal.  We both like salt and lots of ground black pepper in chowders so you'll see flacks of pepper in our soup bowls.

Nigella's Chowder with Asian Flavors

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable  broth
• 1 pound baking potatoes (peeled and cut into  ¼ inch cubes
• 4 ounces baby leeks (cut into ½ inch slices)
• 4 ounces baby sweetcorn (cut into  ¼ inch slices)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 14 fluid ounces can coconut milk
• 20 ounces skinless smoked cod fillets (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 8 ounces small or medium frozen shrimp (I left this out)
• 1½ cups canned sweetcorn kernels,drained(I used fresh corn)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
• 1 long fresh red chile pepper (deseeded and finely chopped)

METHOD

1. Bring the stock to the boil in a medium-sized pan. Cook the chopped potatoes, leeks and baby corn in the stock with the bay leaves and mace for about 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the coconut milk, chopped smoked fish and the lime juice. Bring the pan back to the boil and let it simmer for a minute or so.
3. Tip in the shrimp (if using them) and sweetcorn and once again let it come back to the boil to heat them through. Season with the salt and then serve.
4. Decorate each bowl with some chopped chilli.

I'd definitely make this again, it was hearty enough with bread as an accompaniment and made so much we had lunch the next day. Nigella never disappoints me. 

Linking up with  Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series and with Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sunday this week.  Here post and yummy Cure-All Lentil soup may be found Here - check it out!