Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Shrimp and corn jostle for the upper hand in this flavourful   and satisfying soup. Filling , yet not too rich, this will make a delicious start of a dinner celebration, or a simply enjoy it with crusty warm  bread as a light lunch. Day or night, it  will never fail to please  your palate.

Ingredients:

500 g king prawns, peeled and deveined

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

2 carrots, peeled and chopped roughly

1 celery stick, chopped

1 small stalk of leek, chopped

1 big onion, diced

3 tbsp. butter

1 big can of corn kernel, liquid discarded

1L shrimp/crustacean stock

300 ml water

a handful of chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Cooking Instruction :

1. Heat butter in a large pan. Add diced onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until aromatic and softened. 

2. Add carrots, celery, leek and potatoes. Add water and half o the stock, bring to a boil and lower the   heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Using a hand held mixer or blender, process until your desired consistency is achieved, I like my chowder a bit ''chunky'' so few pulses will do. You could process it until smooth.

4. Put the thickened chowder back into the pan. Add the rest of the stock, adding more liquid if necessary . Stir in corn kernel and shrimp. Cook for about 7 minutes.

5. Stir in cream, bring to a boil , season with salt and pepper.

6. Saddle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped parsley .

Sweet Potato and Fish Chowder

I was looking for a light, easy  but delicious soup recipe for FF's birthday lunch celebration. Yes,  FF had another year to be grateful about and he will  be celebrating , so little wifey took a day off from work to play cook and  waitress. No complains here, I love stepping into those shoes since we hardly have any celebrations at home. It would be a three course meal and birthday boy wants to have a soup for starters, so soup it is. A week before the celebration, I made some experiments and naturally, he became the instant Guinea pig taster. First, I made carrots and apple curry soup ( remembering how wonderful the subtle curry soup we had at Medici) but my own version failed to impress us both. The soup was ok but end up too bland, too simplistic and too so-so. A short trip to the grocery shop  and I made another choice. The sweet potato on the vegetable and fruit section looked all mighty, chunky , titillating and almost begging to be bought. I gave in, and gave it a try. It was just one of those , throw a bit of this and that to the pot that somehow yield a jackpot. The soup was delicious, so I was told. Here's how I did it. This recipe served 10 happy campers at FF's simple lunch celebration the following week.

Camote Soup ala Emily

 

Into the big heavy pot goes  3 tablespoons of butter and 200 g of smoked bacon ,finely chopped. Heat gently, stirring frequently until fat runs, meat starts to brown and a wisp of smokey goodness that spells blood clot undulates the air. Ignore that, it's worth it. Add in 1 big, finely chopped onion,  cook over a low heat until translucent but not brown.

Turn heat to medium high. Add in 5 medium size peeled and chopped carrots, stir well and let it slather in those delicious but not-so healthy butter-bacon fat amalgam. Beta carotin made better? Also peel and chop sweet potatoes and add into the pot. I used 1 ginormous sweet potato weighing close to 600 g, stir well and cover pot for 5 minutes.

Pour 1 Liter of fish stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender. Take the pot out from the heat and leave to cool for few minutes.

Process soup using a hand held mixer or food processor until smooth. It will get thick, almost heavy . Loosen it all up by adding another liter of fish stock, bring to a boil, uncovered.

Gently stir in 500 g of cubed white fish fillets ( like haddock, cod , ocean perch or what ever is available to you) and a handful of finely chopped parsley. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until fish is just cooked. Season with salt and white pepper. If you want to have a smooth, velvety soup, you could puree the soup again once the fish is cooked. FF, however wants to have a chunkier version so I just skipped that.

Reduce the heat to low and add in 400 ml of cream, gently heat through without boiling,  stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot and garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Enjoy it as we all did !

Forever 21

FF just celebrated his 21st birthday ( again) few days ago. It was very same day when the horrifying tsunami and earthwake hits Japan. He arrived home  late in the afternoon from work and I just woke up from a night shift. We were both shock by the news, mood was rather mellow and serious. We ate dinner silently in front of the TV wanting to catch every single news we could get. Nobody called, I guess they too have their attention fixed on this tragedy. There was no celebration planned on that day, we were supposed to go out but somehow our spirits were greatly dampened. 

Since he is not and never have  been a big fan of big parties and huge crowd, FF then decided to invite close family members for a simple lunch the next weekend instead. I'm not complaining since I'm doing the cooking. We then have this simple lunch for 12 people last Sunday. No cake and definitely no candle blowing, no singing, not theme,  no camera (!), no karaoke and  no parlor games. Wish I could bring him home and make him celebrate his birthday Pinoy sytle. That would be cooking simple few dishes and inviting immediate family members and good friends...which would bring the guest number to around 200. Anyway, since we are in Germany, let's do this party the German way.

 FF's mini cake that I bought on his b-day. We shared it after dinner.

Birthday celebration here in Germany or at least when it comes to FF's family is not a big deal. It is usually celebrated with few number of people. However, they give runder Geburtstag then a much more elaborate  bash .  If in the Philipines, when kids turns 1 then 7 and when they turn 18 (for girls) and 21 f(or boys) then a feastive celebration is anticipated. In Germany however,once a person gets a decade older, then festivities is expected. So simple and intimate birthday on 29th or 31st but huge party on 30th, 40th, 50th ,60th birtday and so on. These are the runde Geburtstage. Decade birthdays. The older one gets, the more splended and huge the party must be. The celebrant somehow  felt  bless, grateful and happy for another given decade while his medical/nursing insurance probably not.

Since FF still have a long wait for another runde Geburtstag, we then have our usual  low- key celebration. They hardly call birdthay celebration here a party.  Menu is simple and straight forward. Unlike birthday parties back home where table is filled with so much food that guest have to hold their own plate and sit somewhere else, here each guest must have a place on the dining table. So instead of  serving food  buffet style, it is served in batches or courses. Naturally it, there are other people who prefer the first than the later.. Ms. E decided to make a three course menu and since it's lenten season, we completely skip the meat.  So what was on our table instead?

Appetizer: Mango salad with seared Scallop. I added 2 coconut shrimps  on each salad plate. Didn't hear any complaints from guest. FF served it with some Chablis...I had my usual-diet Coke. FF's and his family's used to this. (^^)

Main Dish. Seared Salmon steak on a bed of pasta and sauteed spinach, unstuffed fried risotto ball and some shrimp bisque  as sauce to compensate for the dryness of the other components. The table might not be filled with food but our guests didn't leave the house hungry. I let the guest have a 30 mins break before serving the dessert.

End lunch with this  vanilla flan , garnished with fresh rastberry. Received some compliments  on how good it was. Uhurm!


I hastlily took pictures before a nervous and somehow harassed looking FF scoop each plate from the kitchen and bring it to his guest.I was not able to beautify each dish so pardon for some messy shots. The birtday lunch was a success and FF was relieved. The good thing is, he got few restaurant coupon for two as presents. When his family bought him these gifts, they knew FF will never go out and eat without me. How sweet....




I realized that I cooked too much for 12, bought enough to feed 15. Like boy and girl scouts, we were prepared. Better have more than less, we thought. I hate throwing away foods, it sound so wrong considering how  many out there at the moment who haven't got anything on their plates. So, the next day, I simply used what ever leftover we had to make lunch.

I simply cut the the leftover salmon filet in thick strips and heat it in olive oil for three minutes tossing twice. Then season it with salt and pepper before taking it out from the pan.

Then I put a tbsp of butter in the same pan and add some cooked noodles. Once noodle is coated in butter, I then pour in the rest of the shrimp bisque, mixed everything well until the noodle treads is well coated in sauce. A minute before serving, I put the salmon fillet back into the pan and toss everything gently. Add something green for color and walah...

Lunch!

Shrimp Bisque

A Bisque is a luxurious, velvety soup ( the first time I heard it ,I thought it's a  bird..huh French!) . It could be made with any crustaceans. For a special dinner and if your budget will allow it, then go get yourself the biggest, fattest and  meanest lobster you could have! I on the other hand settled for a cheaper but nevertheless equally delicious shrimp version. The whole length and procedure of the preparation and cooking takes a while and is undeniably more meticulous compared to other throw-everything-in-the-pot-soups. Afterall it's a bisque  ! It's my show-off starter for any  special occasion.

The Shrimp Chronicle Part 2:
Shrimp Bisque

Here's a my version which could serve up to 8 people ( or maybe 6 very very hungry ones).  I started by making a rue which would  help thicken up the soup, oh sorry the Bisque. A rue is made up of  flour ( about half a cup) and butter ( same amount as flour or more) , melting them  together on medium heat until fragrant . If it starts to  turn into lumps don't worry, lumps are good.  Just keep on stirring it using a wooden spoon and try to break it into smaller lumps, if it gets too dry add a tbsp or two of Butter. When it starts to wisp a baked bread smell, then pour in about 250 ml white wine and whisk it. Then add about half a liter milk and continue whisking until smooth and velvety. Set  the mixture aside but keep warm.

Now, prepare 500 g of shrimp by shelling it. Place the shells in a skillet and set the shrimps aside. Now here's the fun part. Heat up the stove to high and put the skillet with shells on it, turn  the exhaust on  or open the kitchen window. Pour some brandy ,set it alight (huraah!) and enjoy the flammy show without having anything nearby (like your eyebrows)  burn with it. Take out from the heat and once the flame dies down ( uuuuuhhhh already?), pour about 50 ml water. Let it boil to bring the good shrimp flavour out. Strain and put the liquid into the milk mixture. Whisk for a minute or two to incorporate the flavours. Have a break have a Kitkat...

Now using another heavy pot , melt 2 tbsp butter and saute 1 medium sized chopped onion, 2 medium sized diced carrots and 2  celery sticks also diced. Let it sweat under low heat. Turn the heat to high and add the shrimps. Pour in 100 ml of   sherry ( am I turning this dish into a cocktail?) then add in about half a liter stock ( you can use vegetable, lobster or fish stock),   stir in 1 tbsp tomato puree and add bouquet garni  ( it's a bundle of herbs tied together, I had parley, bay leaves and  thyme but  you could also use any herbs of your choice ,nobodys getting mad). Let it simmer under medium heat. Almost there... drink some ice cold soda and wipe that sweat off your forehead.

Now, after simmering for about 10 minutes, turn the heat to high and pour in the milk mixture into the pot and stir. Take the bouquet garni out and discard. Now tip  the mixture into a blender or food processor  ( in batches please) and process it to a puree. Place it in a clean pan ( I hope you have enough pans...really) and season it with salt (always season at the end, it will save you from the trouble of adjusting the whole dish if you put too much salt too early). Aside from salt and pepper, you can use paprika or cayenne  powder, cumin or other spices which you think would add more kick to it. Hey it's your Bisque! Lower the heat and stir in about 2/3 cup heavy cream and  about 2 tbsp butter. Serve hot and garnish it with swirls of cream and something green like parsley.If you like, garnish  it  with cooked shrimps. Eat heartily and don't step on your weighing scale for a week.

 I end up cooking too much for my guest and since I hate throwing good things away, I used it as a sauce for our baked salmon for lunch the next day. I simply rub the  salmon fillets with olive oil and season it salt and pepper . Then I fried  them in   butter for 2 mins on each side. Then, I greased a baking dish, pour in some leftover Bisque,  place the salmon on top and pop it into the over for about 10 mins at 180 ° Celsius and tadaaaaa!

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Lunch!