The Big Giant Food Basket: Roasted Corn Chowder with Shrimp

A few years ago a good friend of my was parting ways with a few cookbooks she never really looked at, and knowing me as she does, (I tend to ~~hoard~~ collect cookbooks of all kinds) she asked me if I would like any of them. Trying my best to hold myself at bay, I accepted a few of her offered books and among them was a book all about cooking from scratch with various herbs and spices.

One of the first recipes that caught my eye was a wonderful corn and shrimp chowder served over warm mashed potatoes. Although I love the idea of the mashed potatoes, I decided to modify the recipe so it is better suited to eat during the summer months. I did this by omitting the mashed potatoes and then using fresh kernels cut right from the cob and pan roasting them.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil (Extra Virgin if you have it)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups of low sodium chicken broth

1 cup of homemade shellfish stock or an 8 oz bottle of clam juice

2 heaping tsp. of dill seed. NOT DILL WEED

5 ears worth of fresh cut kernels

one more T of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 lbs of medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed. If using large shrimp you can cut them in half.

3 T of fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large saucepan and then saute the onion and carrot over medium heat until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, shellfish stock and dill seeds, bring to a boil and then lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime heat another T of olive oil on low heat in a large frying pan, add the kernals and season with salt and pepper. Cook corn while stirring, for about 5 -7 minutes or until the kernels turn a golden brown. Watch the pan doesn't get too hot or you may find yourself ducking from hot popping corn

Add all but about 4 T of the roasted corn to the broth mixture and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Allow mixture cool somewhat and then add all but about 2 cups of the liquid to a food processor or blender and puree in batches until smooth. (Be careful if you are using a blender and the liquid is still hot. Only fill 1/3 of the way to avoid the hot liquid spitting out of the top.)

Add all of the mixture back to the saucepan. Add the shrimp plus 2 T of the parsley and simmer until shrimp are no longer pink...about 2 1/2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the remainder of the roasted corn and parsley.

Serve with a crusty bread and enjoy it with a nice cold glass of German Riesling.