This was another new recipe that was part of a dinner to help ring in the New Year. It comes from Anna Jones’ “A Modern Way to Cook” and it is a satisfying and very tasty chowder. Browning or roasting the corn helps with the flavor and, because we are out of season for corn on the cob, it helped up our game with canned corn (the only kind we could get).
For this you’ll need: x1 onion (chopped), x2 celery stalks (chopped), x1 14 oz can of sweet corn (or frozen or, if you have it, on the cob), x1 sweet potato, 5 cups vegetable stock, 1/2 head cauliflower (florets broken into smaller pieces), x2 limes, paprika, coconut flakes, maple syrup, pepper, olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Drain, rinse the corn (if you’re using canned) and allow to drain/dry for a couple of minutes. Toss the corn with about 1 tsp paprika and a touch of olive oil in a small bowl. Spread the corn in a single layer over a parchment paper lined baking tray. Place into the preheated oven until just beginning to brown – about 8-10 mins. Remove from the oven and set it aside to cool.
In a large pot add about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery and stir well to coat. Cook until softening – about 5 mins. Peel the sweet potato and then cut it into 1/2″ cubes. Add the chopped sweet potato to the onion/celery and stir well to coat everything (add a little more oil if you need it). Add all of the veggie stock and a good grinding of pepper (enough to give it a kick but not overwhelm, about +/- 1/2 tsp) along with the cauliflower and stir well. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and then cook until the sweet potato is soft – about 10-12 mins.
Toss a good handful of coconut flakes with about 1 Tbsp maple syrup in a medium bowl until all the flakes are covered. Spread the coated flakes onto a parchment lined baking tray and place into preheated oven until just beginning to brown – about 2-3 mins (be careful, these easily burn, so keep an eye on them and pull them out as soon as they are golden).
Remove the stock mix from heat, add 1/2 of the roasted corn and then puree the whole thing with a hand mixer until smooth. Stir in the remaining roasted corn, the juice of x2 limes and either serve right away with the sweetened coconut chips on top or save until later (it’ll reheat well).
We served it with some toasted crusty bread drizzled with a little olive oil on the side.
Dinner at Our Place 