Shrimp & Corn Chowder With Fennel

This is a rich soup so if you're being careful with your nutrition you'll need to plan for this little indulgence. If you're eating Paleo, you can stop reading now. This soup gets much of its good sea food flavor flavor from the clam juice and the lemon juice gives it a nice tang at the end.

I found this recipe in Real Simple magazine. I've mentioned Real Simple a couple of times before. Naturally I really like the magazine for its recipes and other food and equipment tips but it has other features too. But it has a real female focus that gets old after awhile. It would be good if they did a male segment every now and then.

A couple of prep tips before getting started. When using leeks be sure you get all the dirt out when washing them. I have found that splitting them lengthwise is most effective at this without peeling away too many layers. You'll be surprised at how much dirt is hiding in there. I use Half & Half instead of the whole milk called for in the magazine's version of the recipe. If you want to cut down on some fat and calories go for the whole milk. The original recipe calls for cooked shrimp but I use uncooked because the shrimp cook very quickly and if the soup is likely to be reheated even once the shrimp will get overcooked and end up too chewy and tough. Rather than frozen corn use either corn right off the cob or Trader Joe's Canned Corn. TJ's corn is amazingly good, the best canned corn you'll ever find and better than most frozen corn. Don't skimp on the lemon juice, it adds a real good tang with out having to add salt.

This recipe yields 4 good size servings.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons of butter
2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped (see prep tips above)
1 fennel bulb, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 8-ounce bottle of clam juice
3 cups of half & half
1 pound of yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound of uncooked peeled and deveined shrimp
1 can of Trader Joe's canned yellow corn
2 stalks of celery, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons of fresh lemons juice, more to taste if desired
Garnish: bacon bits for topping

METHOD

1. Heat the butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat
2. Add the leeks and fennel, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes
4. Stir in the flour
5. Add the clam juice, half & half, and potatoes
6. Turn up the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil
7. Quickly reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes
8. Stir in the shrimp, corn, and celery
9. Cook another 3-5 minutes, until the potatoes are firm but still tender and the shrimp are just finished cooking
10. Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice
11. Serve with bread and bacon bits if desired.

Corned Beef & Black Bean

I got this recipe from Cooking.com and made a few changes to it. I'm on their emailing list and get an appealing recipe about 25% of the time.

This soup was real hit at work this week! It was pretty easy to make, about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most challenging. This is also a surprisingly light soup even with the corned beef. Maybe my favorite aspect of this soup is the beautiful colors! Black bean, Yellow corn, Red bell peppers, Green jalapenos and cilantro, and the Orange carrots makes it nearly a ROYGBIV in a bowl.

A couple of shopping and prep tips:

• When buying the corned beef be sure you buy from a service deli counter. Look for it to be sliced from a bottom or top round cut which will be leaner than if it is from a brisket. It should look like the piece pictured here. The brisket cut is what you see in the meat case around St. Patrick's Day. You want the leaner bottom round cut so the fat doesn't make the soup too heavy. Have your slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Be picky with your meat! I always have been.
• For a great way to slice up the bell pepper check out this tip http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/11/11/how-to-cut-a-bell-pepper-the-easy-way/. 
• When you prep the jalapeno be sure to wear rubber gloves and don't ever, no not ever, touch any body part before removing the gloves. 

• If you have a Trader Joe's in your area be sure you buy the canned yellow corn from there. It is the best canned corn you'll ever buy, I like it much better than any frozen corn I've had and it is darn near as good as fresh off the cob. I know it is just canned corn but I'm huge on this one. 
• When you drain and rinse the black beans be sure you do it in the sink, I made a black mess when I missed.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 1 onion, chopped, yellow, red, white, doesn't matter
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced diagonally, about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 celery stalks, sliced about 1/4 inch thick, up to and including the leaves, they add great flavor
• 1 red bell pepper, diced, see the note above for prep tip
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups of water
• 1 quart of chicken stock (Costco's house brand is good and a good value)
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (15 or 19 ounces, doesn't matter)
• 1 can of Trader Joe's yellow corn if possible, if not available just make do with the big green guy or store brand
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced, seeds, rib and stem removed. See the note above before messing with the jalapeno
• 1/2 pound of deli sliced corned beef, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. See note above about shopping for the corned beef
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. You can use Italian parsley if you don't care for cilantro, but I can't imagine why

METHOD

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onions begin to soften, no longer than 10 minutes.
4. Add the water, broth, and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender but still firm, don't overcook!!! Nothing worse than mushy veggies. No longer than 8 minutes.
7. Stir in the beans, corn, and jalapeno.
8. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
9. Remove the pot from the heat and add the corned beef, vinegar and cilantro. Stir and allow the last 3 ingredients to warm, about 5 minutes
10. Serve.

If you make the soup ahead of time, wait to stir in the corned beef, vinegar, and cilantro until you're ready to serve. Otherwise, the corned beef will leach into the broth, the vinegar will lose its bite and the cilantro will turn brown, an ugly brown.