Winter Comforts- Chowder

Everyone has their favorite comfort foods. I have many. Wine, chocolate and pasta are in the top 5. Shrimp and grits vs. lobster mac-n-cheese are tied. Good soup or stew on a dreary, arctic day is a definite. As I write this it feels about 10 degrees out although the barometer says it is somewhere in the 20's. It's dour, grey, and there are flurries. I decided that really bright flowers and hot soup were needed to replace the sunshine I won't see until sometime tomorrow. Did I mention it's really dreary out?

I made chowder for the first time ever this week. I've eaten it so many times -corn, clam , scallop, monkfish., red, white, clear, New York, Newport , New England and Bahamian. How hard could it be?

It all started because I had made shrimp. Not just any shrimp - Whole Foods has fresh, wild-caught Maine shrimp in right now. They are so fresh and good I suggest you drop everything and go get some, really , they're that good! Steam them briefly - ask the guy at the counter and he will tell you the timing. It's barely 2-3 minutes. These are pink shrimp and they are beautiful. Season them with salt and pepper before steaming and save the water after . I used it to make the chowder.


This was one of those un -shopped-for ,hmm... what should I do with the shrimp broth? thoughts, that became lets make chowder. A quick consult to Joy of Cooking showed I was missing a few key things like cream and booze. Well, shoot, it's not Mardi Gras yet and half and half would just have to do.

Ever since having Bahamian monkfish chowder I like the idea of a little heat so I sauteed the onion, garlic,parsley and sweet potato chunks in olive oil with a generous dashes of Tabasco sauce. I used the regular Tabasco, but I'd be curious to taste the Chipotle Tabasco in the chowder-that would add a whole dimension on to the flavors, would it overwhelm the sweet corn and potato ? Perhaps I'll try that next time along with adding a bayleaf and bit of bourbon or sherry, but I digress...

After sauteing I added the shrimp broth leftover from steaming the shrimp and some leek broth, a little curry , thyme, paprika, more black pepper, micro-pinch of oregano, frozen corn niblets and simmered until the sweet potato is tender. I stirred in some half and half and the shelled cooked shrimp and simmered a bit more. The result: a yummy pot of spiced sunshine and a really warm belly. I'm going back for grateful seconds.