simple , hearty fisherman's food...........New England fisherman..........who would throw portions of their days catch , alongside other staples.....milk and potatoes....together into a large pot..........creating this now famous , globally interpreted........soup!........
....so.....on a particularly icy winters morning..........keedos announced that they would love some soup for dinner......and left me to my own devices...........and thoughts ?,....
..looking through my kitchen window onto the frosty , misty highveld...... .......... through the mist.........i can swear i saw............a port , a quaint fisherman's port......white bearded men , full of wisdom and Tales from Yonder......striped blue and white t shirts........heavy jackets to ward off the cold.................'..i went to New England .'..........that morning...........and so..........decided..would make a feisty prawn chowder for dinner................................................................. vivid imagination !..............
this is a dish that i created .......virtually from memories...........
i recalled visually how the chowder was plated at Montego Bay , the aroma , which can give one a very clear idea of the ingredients used.........and i tried to recall the taste...........easy to do.......recall the last time we had had it......
..it was during the Fifa SoccerWorld Cup Celebrations
2010!..@..The Nelson Mandela Square.!.
what an energy, of people , all in their country's regalia...............
.........what a fantastic time!......................
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Waka Waka!,,,,,,,,,,,,Its' time for Africa!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
.and it was all there..........stored in those archives
....i tasted the cream........the bite of the succulent prawn , the mellow taste of the potato , i could recall a faint taste of feta cheese.........and the beautiful scent of parsley and chives
...........perfect , lets get stirring!
i used the following.................
1.6 kg of unshelled headless prawns , deveined
6 to 8 large potatoes ... cubed, boiled and roughly mashed
few stems of spring onions
lots of green chillies...................i like it hot!.......................
fresh cream.....2 times 250 ml , calorie counting , like i always am ,
reduced fat worked very well......
large tub , 400g , of , again, reduced fat feta cheese
fat free milk
off course........you could go the whole nine yards , and do full cream
everything , the result would be muchos muchos!!.................
........sauteed , snipped spring onions , in melted butter
........added prawns , crushed garlic , sea salt , white pepper , freshly ground black pepper ,
........ground in green chillies , splashed in some lemon juice
........medium heat , open pot...........cooked until prawns turned fuchsia !....glorious sight..!..
.............this will take but a few minutes , so watch carefully , to avoid overcooking
.............added in roughly mashed fresh potatoes.......
.............simmered on low heat for a few minutes
.............added cream ......... simmered again
.............added milk
.............simmered , until thick and brothy!......
..........................i let it rest until dinner time , giving the flavours a chance to meld and added the absolute piece DE resistance,,,,,,,,,, the crumbled feta cheese , more , than would be healthily acceptable , but then , it was low fat!
after all!..............ouch!..........ease the conscience.......................
.......................................the feta oozed its way into the chowder on an easy heat.............
magnifique!!!...................
to serve...................
ladle each serving into a bowl
extra prawns, if you please...........
a generous handful of crumbled feta cheese
garnish with parsley and chives
what would a chowder be without a cheesy , garlicky crusty bread ?
.........you can use a french loaf , pannini........ ,
........for ease of eating ...for keedos... i used hotdog rolls
.........smear a thick layer of garlic butter
.........add a mix of grated mozzarella , gouda and cheddar cheese
.........dribble melted garlic butter over
.........grind over , sea salt and fresh black pepper
.........garnish with chopped chives
..............oven must be on high grill............watch very carefully!
..............the cheese will melt , start bubbling and the edges of the roll will get crusty and charred
......................................gather around the table , keedos , for some..................
prawn CHOWder and CHATTER...........................................................
