Slow Cooker Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Yesterday's recipe had a rather luke warm reception. This slow cooker recipe is sure to be a hit!

What You Need

     4 cups   chicken broth

     4 cups corn (fresh or frozen kernels)

     1 medium onion (finely chopped)

     1 red bell pepper (seeded and diced)

     1/2 cup carrots (sliced thinly)

     2 russet potatoes (peeled and diced)

     1 bay leaf

     salt and pepper

     1 Lb.  Medium shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

     1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)

     slow Cooker

     blender  or food processor

Lets  Make It! In your slow cooker  combine chicken broth, corn, onion, bell pepper, carrots, potatoes, bay leaf, 1 cup water and 1 tsp. salt . Cover and cook on low until vegetables are tender, about 6 hours. Puree 3 cups of soup in a blender and return to slow cooker. Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook until shrimp are pink and firm about 10 to 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves-4-6

Katie’s Tid Bits* for a creamy soup add ½ a cup of heavy cream during the last five minutes the shrimp are cooking.

Basil and Corn Tart Recipe

Basil is still happily growing in the windowsill and there's still corn in the freezer from summer.  I thought I'd share this veggie recipe with you today. This recipe makes a nice addition to a brunch menu or serve for a light lunch.

What You Need

1/3 cup butter, softened

 2 Tbsp  Sugar

 1/2 tsp Salt

 3 Eggs

 2/3 Cup Yellow Cornmeal

 2/3 Cup All-purpose flour

 1 Cup half-and-half (or light cream)

 1-1/2 Cups Corn kernels (fresh or thawed if using frozen)

 1/2 Cup coarsely chopped fresh basil (plus a few small leaves for garnish, optional)

 1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Electric Mixer

9 inch Tart Pan (or round cake pan )

Aluminum Foil

Plastic Wrap

Tomato ( chopped for garnish, optional)

Before You Start: This recipe requires refrigeration of the crust prior to completion. Make the crust (see below) preheat oven to 350® after removing crust from the refrigerator.

 Lets Make It! In medium bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed to blend (about 30 seconds). Add sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat until combined. Beat in 1 egg until combined. Add in cornmeal and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer; stir in any remaining flour. Form dough into a Frisbee looking disc and wrap in plastic. Chill for about an hour (until it’s easy to handle).

After dough has cooled, press and pat dough evenly into bottom and sides of tart pan. Cover pastry with double thickness of foil and bake 10 minutes; remove foil. Bake 4 to 6 minutes more.

In medium bowl whisk together 2 eggs and half-and-half. Stir in corn, basil, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Pour into corn crust. Bake 35 to 40 minutes (or until set, no jiggling). Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with tomato and additional basil. To garnish before serving

Serves 6-8

Treasure Hunt

Brightly colored tarps and canopies filled the city museum’s parking lot yesterday morning. The Farmer’s Market was in full swing and the parking was scarce. I parked on the street and I made my way through the crowd carrying my big blue mesh bag (no plastic for me). Anxious to find the delicious ambrosia corn we look forward to every August. There it was! Bushels of it! I had found the golden sweet treasure. I waited patiently to fill my bag and then with a huge grin on my face I began the long stroll through the vendors to find more of the summer’s harvest. I picked up several large (mutant large) zucchini. The truth is zucchini is abundant around here. Home gardens are often over flowing with this delicious squash. I’ve been told that if you leave your car doors unlocked at night there’s a good chance you’ll find zucchini in your car in the morning. But, instead of hoping someone would anonymously leave me a gift of squash I decided to buy a few. I purchased them from the farmer who I watched eating a jalapeño pepper without even breaking a sweat! That was amazing and worth my patronage. I purchased the zucchini and I gently placed them into the bag with the corn, careful not to disturb my golden treasure.
You can find so many things at the Farmer’s Market; fresh fruits and vegetables, whirly gigs, kitchen towels and even fresh pasta. Every trip can garner you something fabulous to bring home. I found some beautiful blue Irises. They were loosely tied and wrapped in plastic and sitting in a bucket filled with water. I bought a bundle shook off the water and started back to the car still grinning with pride over my bag filled with golden treasure. My car had been surrounded by several other cars and maneuvering out of the parking lot was a challenge. But I met it with a smile, nothing could spoil such a successful morning. I made my way home with my treasure and the beautiful, perfect in every way, blue irises.

I photographed one of the Irises for you to enjoy with me. Sorry no photos of the corn. Just my word that it was, de-li-cious!
I do hope you’ll take time to visit your local Farmer’s Market and find some treasures of your own. Maybe you will even write and tell me about what you find.

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