Back to kitchen...

Or sort of. With the end of this term, exams and papers seem to grow up on my desk faster than I can get hold of them. Plus, Mr. Winter seems to have decided to spend some time in Portugal, making me look like an onion with (at least) 3 layers of clothing, and to move a lot slower because I'm always cold. It also leaves me craving for weird things like bread pudding with custard or champ... And hot chocolate. No, not exactly all the 3 together at the same time! It's that time of the year when my days are just too short for everything that calls for attention: work, family, friends, food, and traveling (will tell you more about it later). I've cooked some soup, baked bread, and made the occasional cake. Nothing new, or brilliant - except perhaps for an almond apple tart that flew too fast to be photographed, meaning I'll have to bake one again soon.

But today what I really wanted was to blog about this chowder that I made a few weeks ago.



Sweet Corn Crab Chowder
Lightly adapted from Delicious, August 2008.

Serves 4

1-2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 leek, washed and finely chopped
1 cup diced bacon
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 Tbsp plain flour
150 ml dry white wine
200ml single cream
200ml milk
200ml fish or vegetable stock
200g white crab meat
400g can sweetcorn, drained
Fresh flatleaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
lemon quarters, to serve

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat. Add the chopped onion, celery, leek, and bacon and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the potatoes and toss with the vegetables.

Stir in the flour, and cook for a minute. Pour over the wine, milk, cream, and top up with the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Mix in the sweetcorn kernels, and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir the crab meat into the soup, and remove from the heat.

Garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with crusty bread. Squeeze the lemon quarter over the soup just before eating.