The bounty of fresh, local produce available, and cooler than normal August weather, has had me on bit of soup-making bender of late.
Indeed, last week, while it rained outside, inside, in my kitchen, I was happily preparing different soups to eat now and also freeze to enjoy later in the year. And my tendency to buy way more corn on the cob than I need for a meal or two led me to creating one of the types I made.
It was corn chowder, a favourite soup of mine that’s stocked with other vegetables, such as potatoes, onion, celery and carrots. Like most chowders, it also had seafood in it: cubes of B.C. lingcod fillets, which shimmered with freshness when I bought them.
To ready the corn for the soup, I shucked a couple of cobs of corn and thoroughly removed the silk from them. With a sharp paring knife, I then cut and slid the kernels off each cob and into a bowl. When cutting off the kernels, work as close to the cob as you can, but not so close that you’re taking a lot of the fibrous cob along for the ride.
To make the chowder, diced onions and celery and grated carrots were sautéed until softened. Chopped garlic and flour were then mixed in, creating a roux that would help lightly thicken the chowder. I then added fish stock, but you could also use chicken or vegetable stock, along with the fresh corn kernels and some cubed red-skinned potatoes.
The chowder was then simmered until the potatoes were tender, and then some cream (you could also use milk), chopped dill and the cubed cod were added. The chowder was then simmered a short while longer, just until the fish was cooked through, seasoned with salt and pepper, and it was ready to serve.
I like serving chowder as a main course for lunch or dinner, especially if there’s some bread alongside it to round out the meal. In this case, I made cheese biscuits that, like the chowder, I also flavoured with chopped dill. I bought a rather large bunch of dill at a farm market and that proved to be a tasty way to use up a lot of it.
My cod and summer corn chowder recipe yields five servings, but could be doubled if you desire a larger amount. Any leftover chowder will freeze well.
Cod and Summer Corn Chowder
B.C. cod fillets and sweet summer corn combine in this hearty chowder also stocked with other vegetables and dill.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: about 35 minutes
Makes: five servings
3 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1 small onion, diced
2 medium celery ribs, diced
1/2 cup grated carrot
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 cups fish, chicken or vegetable stock (divided; see Note 1)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (see Note 2)
1 1/2 cups (unpeeled) red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 medium potatoes)
350 grams lingcod, grey cod or other cod fillets, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (see Options)
• salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1/2 cup half and half (10 per cent) cream or milk
Place oil, or melt the butter, in a pot set over medium, medium-high heat (my pot was eight inches wide and four inches tall). Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook until softened, four to five minutes. Mix in the flour and garlic and cook two more minutes.
While stirring steadily, slowly mix in one cup of the stock. When mixture is very thick, slowly mix in the remaining stock. Add corn and potatoes to the pot and bring this chowder to a gentle simmer (small bubbles should just break on the surface). Adjust the heat as needed to maintain that gentle simmer. Simmer chowder until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add cod, dill and cream (or milk) to the chowder, return to a simmer, and cook a few minutes more, or until fish is just cooked. Taste chowder, season with salt and pepper, as needed, and then serve.
Note 1: Fish stock is sold in tins at some grocery stores and fresh made or frozen at seafood stores. I bought the cod fillets and fish stock used in the chowder at Oak Bay Seafood (oakbayseafood.com).
Note 2: Two medium cobs of corn, after shucking and cutting the kernels off the cob, should yield the 1 1/2 cups needed here.
Options: Fresh dill is sold in bunches or packages in most grocery and farm markets. If you don’t care for dill, replace it with chopped fresh tarragon or parsley, or snipped chives, to taste.
Dill and Havarti Biscuits
Light golden biscuits flecked with tangy cheese and chopped with fresh dill.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 12 to 14 minutes
Makes: 9 to 10 biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for shaping
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into tiny cubes
1 cup grated havarti or cheddar cheese (about 75 grams)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. With your fingers, a pastry cutter or with two forks, work butter into the flour until thoroughly distributed. Now stir in the cheese and dill.
Gently mix milk into flour mixture, until a moist, ragged dough forms, and then turn on to a well floured work surface. Flour your hands. Shape dough into a ball, and then flatten into a 9-inch round, 3/4- to 1-inch thick disc.
With a floured, 2 3/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on the baking sheet, ensuring there is some space between each one. Gather up the scraps of dough, and press and cut into biscuits as well. Bake biscuits in the middle of the oven 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed and light golden. Serve the biscuits warm or at room temperature.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
