Late May has seen the Skagit Valley revert to April-like weather - a blustery Memorial Weekend in the 50's that is not exactly conducive to BBQs and more like I WANT SOUP kind of weather!!!
So much so that when talking dinner prep tonight, my love and I both agreed we needed chowder with a big slab of toasted homemade sourdough bread on the side to get that warm-belly-on-a-cold-day vibe, before pulling out the Scrabble board.
Looking at ingredients, I enlisted my husband's help in finding us a recipe involving coconut milk, Oregon bay shrimp, and corn - and he totally delivered, with this recipe from Nellie Bellie which we adapted with Vietnamese Coriander instead of parsley to bring a more Southeast Asian vibe to it.
I've been a big fan of Vietnamese Coriander (AKA rau ram) since discovering it more than a decade or so ago gardening in my first home's garden, where it along with the Cuban Oregano thrived in the summers that seem to get hotter and hotter here in the Northwest..hen died as the winters got colder than they used to. So after that I always have grown these in pots so they can come in during the winter and hang out near a bright window! But it's very, very worth it.
On a summer's day this chowder would still be good though, I gotta say - as my husband suggested, some little rice paper salad rolls would be a great substitution for the heartier bread (which we toast in a bit of olive oil the skillet and spread a bit of Miyoko's vegan organic butter on - hella yum...). Either way, it's pretty darn quick - and pretty darn delicious - comfort food!
Comments