Revisiting an Old Favorite

Some of you may remember that last summer I was totally broke.  I didn’t have money for groceries, so I cooked out of my pantry and went to the farmers market for all of my cheap produce.  It was terrifying, but it was also interesting to see what I could come up with even when I was forced to really, really improvise.  And I survived!  Big deal.  This summer, I haven’t been nearly as broke, but I was incredibly busy.  So busy that, even though I cooked, making food for myself was a major chore.  It had to be done, but it left me exhausted.  Therefore!  This week I decided to take advantage of my newly free evenings and not-empty bank account and cook some tasty things that I didn’t let myself have last summer.  First up was my favorite summer soup.

I’ve blogged about this soup before, but I can’t find a link to it for the life of me.  Oh well.  Anyway, this is the Summer Lovin’ Corn and Veggie Chowder from Appetite for Reduction!  I kind of un-reduced it, though, by using full fat coconut milk.  Oh well, I’ve been doing hot yoga like 4 times a week.  This soup is the epitome of summer produce.  It’s bursting with zucchini, red peppers, and sweet, fresh corn.  The coconut milk and curry powder give it an eastern vibe that many corn chowders lack.  This time around, I used a wonderful sambar curry powder from the Asian market, and I think it adds a depth that my usual mild curry powder is missing.

This is the soup in my newest cooking vessel – a deep blue 6.5 quart enamel cast iron dutch oven that my guy got me for my birthday!  I’ve wanted one for so long, and I just love the color of this one.  (He has the same one in red.  Consequently, our toothbrushes are blue and red, respectively.  Adorable.)  Ok, enough mush.

This chowder also has a bit of a kick due to the addition of crushed red pepper.  I recommend eating it in an air conditioned room!  At any rate, it’s basically the perfect late summer bowl of goodness.  Remember, there is never a wrong time for soup.