Recipe: Southwest Corn Chowder

Recipe: Southwest Corn Chowder
A perfect hearty and warming chowder for those cold days that are still ahead...

2-3 tbsp olive oil
6-8 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
3-4 medium-sized carrots, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or regular, but the chipotle [or Mexican style] gives it a nice smokey flavor.)
1 tsp. oregano
2 cloves of garlic, pressed, mashed or finely chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2 12-ounce packages of frozen corn
4 cups broth (I used vegetarian chicken broth. Yes, they make such a thing.)
2 cups milk (This can be easily veganized, as I did, by using an unsweetened almond milk)

In a medium to large sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat then add the white part of the scallion, carrots, chili powder and oregano. Stir occasionally and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the scallions begin to soften and the garlic and spices are fragrant. Add the potato, corn broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Add the remaining green portion of the scallions and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Possible additions at the table:
Pico de gallo or a chunky salsa, if you want to spice it up
Diced avocado
Strips of tortillas, fried until crispy
A squeeze of lime
Diced tomato
Toasted pumpkin seeds

And what could be better with this than a warm, crisp and melty quesadilla?

Mangez!

Recipe: Jessie's Onion Shortbread

Recipe: Jessie's Onion Shortbread
I didn't get to sample this while in Madison, but heard it was wonderful via Barb. Jessie says the photo is of a half-batch and notes the recipe splits pretty evenly. She baked it in her new Pyrex casserole we found while thrift shopping.

2 large onions, thinly sliced (Vidalia or other sweet onion, if available)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
8 ounces (1 cup) sour cream
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese, divided
15 ounces cream-style corn, undrained
1/2 cup milk
8.5 ounce package of corn muffin mix
1 egg, lightly beaten
hot sauce, to taste

Preheat the over to 325 degrees.

Saute onions in butter until soft. Stir in sour cream, dill, salt and half of the cheese. In a big yellow bowl, combine the corn, muffin mix, milk, egg and hot sauce. Put corn mixture in a greased 10-inch baking dish. Spoon the onion mixture evenly over the corn mixture. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 t0 40 minutes.

Shopping: Fresh Market





Last weekend, I went to three grocery stores in Indianapolis: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Fresh Market. I was excited because the Whole Foods was a newer, flashier one than where I usually shop in the city and I had never been to a Fresh Market before. You might remember it from Top Chef Miami, it's where they bought all of their groceries.

Visually, Fresh Market is very much like Whole Foods. It was kind of like, "what store am I in?" It's very green and white, with a dash of the organic, natural. They have their own store brand and lots of wonderful produce included great buys on blood oranges and pencil thin asparagus. I was surprised to find an array of Southern delicacies including several varieties of pimento cheese and some Southern vegetables you don't see everywhere, including Silver Queen corn. Yes, Silver Queen. It's really a family joke, which won't be funny to anyone but me: my family could have an entire dinner table conversation about corn, its varieties and the subtle differences in flavor and sweetness. When I was a child, Silver Queen was one of the preferred corns.

It was a fun shopping trip and I got some delicious things: chocolate-covered pretzels with toffee bits; an indulgent chocolate coffee which is the most aromatic I have ever had; a black and white cookie; tiny, thin asparagus; and blood oranges.