April Showers

I'm not sure if April knows this or not, but it's not supposed to be here yet. And its showers are definitely not supposed to be here yet. But that's what we've got in Santa Barbara at the moment. Early April Showers. Or Late March Showers. And that means soup was a necessity for dinner tonight. And I'm not even going to feel guilty for the fire I built and am sitting in front of as I type this. It's chilly. It's wet. It's good to be in a toasty home.

I've had this recipe sitting around for eleven months. I never got around to making it last spring, but today seemed like a good time to try it. It's fresh-tasting but comforting. And after an indulgent evening last night attending a gala which was follow-up by bottle service here, I felt like feeding my body something nutritious might help make up for the excessive alcohol and late-night pizza? Wishful thinking perhaps but I have always been an optimist.

Curried Shrimp-and-Corn Chowder

from Southern Living

Ingredients

1 medium-size sweet onion, diced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 large Yukon gold potatoes (around 1 lb. total), peeled and diced

1 large sweet potato (1 lb.), peeled and diced

2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)

1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth

1 (13.5 oz.) can unsweetened lite coconut milk

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb. peeled large shrimp, chopped if desired

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

Saute onion in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender; add garlic, and saute 1 minute.

Add Yukon gold potatoes and next 7 ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in shrimp and cilantro; cook 4-5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you want to get fancy, top with chopped green onions, cilantro and/or roasted peanuts.

Serves 8.