It's been rainy for the past week and I wanted to make a soup that was warming but hopeful for sunny spring days to come by using sweet corn and leeks. It was a pretty simple soup to put together with a few simple ingredients but made interesting with tastes of curry and garam masala.
This recipe feeds 4
1 lb shrimp (de-veined and unpeeled)
2 large leeks (cut and washed very important!!)
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 large garlic clove minced
3 cans of chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon of cane sugar
2 tablespoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 tablespoon or so of olive oil
1 tablespoon of kosher salt (more to taste if need be)
lime wedges
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Place your shrimp on a shallow baking pan after giving them a good rinse. Keep the shells on the shrimp as they help to give the shrimp beautiful flavor while roasting as well as prevent them from drying out. Sprinkle the shrimp with 1/2 of your curry powder and all of the garam masala. then sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Add half the ginger and then Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss the shrimp in the spices with your fingers until they are each coated. While you are waiting for your oven to preheat, move onto the soup.
Cut and rinse your leeks. Here's how: http://youtu.be/R8glwRaS8OM
By the time you are through cutting and cleaning your leeks, your oven will most likely be ready for the shrimp. Put the shrimp in the oven and cook on a timer for about 10 minutes and stir them around at the 5 min mark.
Now In a large soup pot, drizzle some olive oil (just a little) and add your garlic and the rest of your ginger to the oil and cook briefly. Once aromatic, add your leeks, jalapeno pepper, and the rest of your curry powder and a few generous pinches of salt. Cook to soften and then create a well in the center of the vegetables to make a roux (this will thicken the soup. Here is how to make a roux: http://youtu.be/sGxvV7uwpkw )
Did I mention that I LOVE youtube? :)
OK, so back to the soup...after you make the roux in the pan (don't worry if it gets on the vegetables! No biggie). You want to add your liquids slowly to start. Add just about 1/2 cup of your chicken stock and use a whisk to prevent your roux from clumping up. Keep adding the stock at a slow and steady pour while whisking it all together. Then you want to add your coconut milk, sugar and corn. Bump your heat up to high to get that soup bubbling away. Once it's bubbling, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Taste it to see if it needs a better balance between salty and sweet. You want it to taste a lot like a Thai curry. Delicious!
Once the shrimp are done cooking, wait for them to cool a little before peeling them. After they are all peeled, roughly chop them into large chunks.
When your soup is done and ready, ladle it into bowls and top each bowl with a heap of delicious roasted shrimp and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Eat with some fresh bread or whatever you wish!
