Prawn and Sweetcorn Chowder recipe

The whole premise of Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food book is to pass the recipe on. So Catherine, because you asked, I'm sharing the recipe.

Serves 4-6
Ingredients
• 1 large leek washed and chopped • 500g potatoes peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks • 1 stock cube (chicken/vegetable) dissolved in 1L water • Olive oil • 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon sliced • 250g sweetcorn • 250g raw peeled prawns • 285ml pouring cream • sea salt and pepper • 1 fresh red chilli de-seeded and chopped• 6 cream crackers crushed (we use Sao)

To cook
Add bacon rashers to casserole type pan with olive oil, cook until golden and crispy. Using tongs transfer cooked bacon to a plate leaving the fat in the pan (Being pescatarian I omit this step, I can imagine the flavour it imparts, but the soup is still delicious without it).

Add the leek and potatoes to the pan and cook for 3-5 min.
Add sweetcorn and prawns. Add hot stock and cream.
Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 min until potatoes are tender.
Remove off heat and blend. Season again to taste.
Serve with chopped chilli, crackers and bacon if you're that way inclined.

Brown Owls

Last night the Yarraville chapter (sounds like a cult!) of the Brown Owls met for the first crafty time. Some of us had met a month earlier at the pub, but no one was game to bring out their current project there. Instead we made ourselves comfortable in the tea room of the new Yarraville Community Centre, while we got to know everyone a little bit better over cups of tea, brownies, lemon slice and a cheese platter.

Look at the handy work!

If you'd like to join us in the West, check out the link above, we'll meet again in a months time.

A long road and a farewell

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and a lot of time on the bike over the weekend. More kitchen adventures to be shared later in the week, but Friday night called for some comfort food that fit the 'carbo loading' category as Saturday saw my brother and I complete the Great Ocean & Otway ride (145km). I think if I had lay down 100km in, I wouldn't have got back up!

Sunday we said goodbye to my Nana, who will be remembered (amongst other things) as the woman who liked to start her day with cake for breakfast. I wish!

10 things in 2010: 1-5 update

As March comes to a close, I thought I'd share where I'm at with my 10 things in 2010 list.

1. Take French language lessons - Starting these now I risk being over stimulated during the week. Put on hold until later in the year.
   
2. Read 12 books - Four down including One hundred years of Solitude: Gabriel Gracia Marquez, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency: Alexander McCall Smith, How to get a Job you Love: John Lees, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Steig Larsson. On my 'to read' list include the books above as well as The Angels Game: Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
   
3. Climb the 1000 steps (left over from '09) - Anyone seen a free, dry weekend??
   
4. Run something with 'marathon' in the title - I'm currently in training for July's Run Melbourne Half marathon and I'm seriously thinking of backing up Around the Bay in a Day (210km cycle event) with the Melbourne half marathon the weekend after.
   
5. Finish the large cotton crochet blanket started last year - Still as slow progress as ever. Didn't help that I misplaced the crochet needle I was using for a couple of weeks.

This week in the garden

The passionfruit vine is putting on quite a spread. I've got several flowers, quite a few young fruits and one that shows promise of ripening. I can't wait to try the first harvest.

Recap

The weekend was near on perfect, it started Friday night with some late night shopping, seriously good dumplings at Hutong Dumpling Bar (Market Lane, Melbourne), an early Saturday morning run, a beautiful but relaxed Vineyard wedding, BBQ with friends and finally some Sunday cooking. I haven't cooked on a Sunday in what feels like forever, recently we've always been coming back late from the beach.

This week I had time to make Moroccan Sweet Potato, Carrot & Chickpea soup. I never add quite that much oil and always use vegetable stock and crushed whole cumin & coriander seeds. It really is delicious.

Vibrant night

Just some of the colour from last night's Hawker Market (as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival) at the Queen Victoria Market. The tickets were part of Mr T's Christmas present. I bought them back in November, it's hard to fathom how quickly the time has passed.

The warm night was filled with the sounds of drumming, good smells and tasty food - green tea pancakes! There's definitely motivation to get to another event before the festival ends next week.

The first soup of the season

It's been a little bit quiet on the blog front. So I thought I'd a meal with you from last week. A bowl of Jamie Oliver's Prawn and corn chowder sans bacon from his Ministry of Food cookbook. All the while gathering inspiration for my Autumn plantings reading through Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion.

The warmer weather this week as seen a multitude of new growth in the garden. I hope it's all the rocket that went to seed and not weeds.

Patterned light

Some people were curious about the grater in my creative space. I quite like the shadows it throws.

Sketch Saturday

Art trying to imitate life. This caused me no end of frustration.