Cajun Corn Chowder

Corn holds a special place in my heart. My parents once told me that as I kid I loved to eat was corn. When they took me to one of my father’s friends in France they apparently joked about me only eating the pig’s food.

Now, we have corn at least once a week and to me, it never gets old. This is a recipe my mom once made for us and I absolutely loved it. So much that now I’m making it myself, too. It’s such a flavorful! The corn is absolutely amazing and it’s both creamy and spicy at the same time.

Cajun corn chowder
Adapted from: Spices by Manisha Gambhir Harkins (page 15 in the Dutch edition)
Serves: 4

Ingredients 

• 475 gram canned corn (you can use cobs if you want. You’ll need about 4.)
• 25 gram butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 5 slices of bacon, sliced into small pieces
• 3 teaspoons Cajun herbs (see below)
• 1 ¼ liter vegetable stock
• 250 ml cooking cream

Method

1. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the onion and sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the celery and braise for about 3 minutes until the celery has softened. Add the corn and Cajun herbs (start with 2 tablespoons and then add more to taste since it’s quite spicy). Stir well.
2. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. When you use cobs, let it simmer for about 35 minutes since canned corn is pre-cooked so it needs less time (at least, in the Netherlands it is).
3. Add the cooking cream and, over a low heat, let the soup boil to your desired thickness.
4. Optional: pour the soup into the kitchen blender and mix until it’s smooth. Return the soup to the pan.
5. Add the bacon.

Cajun herbs

• ½ teaspoon black pepper corns
• ½ teaspoon white pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt

Grind all the spices together and store, sealed, in a dark spot.
The Cajun herbs can also be used with fish and meats.

~Enjoy!

Spinach and coconut soup with shrimp

Since I live with my parents I (almost) never have to worry about what to eat in weekends. True, I cook two to three times a week on working days but on Sundays I generally don’t cook because mom doesn’t have to work. But there’s some Sundays when mom and dad aren’t at home and I’m left to my own devices. With an empty ‘fridge.

Today was such a day and I felt like making a nice soup for myself. But, since it’s Sunday and the shops are closed (unless you want to actually travel for it) I had make-do with our storage-closet and freezer. I found a recipe for a spinach and coconut soup in one of my mom’s cookbooks (500 soups). Of course, I never follow a recipe as I find it in a book so I decided to add the shrimp I found and leave out some of the other ingredients.

What came out was a rich soup that’s both creamy and spicy and let’s all the flavors come to their right, or so I think. I hope you enjoy it!

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon ginger powder
• 2 ½ cup vegetable stock
• 2 ½ cup coconut milk
• 500 gram frozen spinach
• 175 gram shrimp (either fresh or frozen)

Recipe


• Heat the oil in a large sauce pan and add the onion, garlic and chili flakes. Cook on a low heat for about 4 minutes.

• Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger and stir.

• Add the vegetable stock and coconut milk and on a medium heat bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, defrost the spinach (I use the microwave for that) and after 10 minutes of simmering add the spinach to the soup. Stir and then let the soup simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add the shrimp (defrost the shrimp first if you use frozen ones) and stir.

• Season with salt and pepper if needed.

~ Enjoy!