Southern Delights!!!!

Y'all, Yes Ma'am, Howdy, all expressions I heard in the Southern USA. 

Food plays a big part in the South.

Charleston was colourful. When walking down a cobblestone street I  heard trumpets playing and symbols banging together. People were dancing and singing followed by a horse drawn carriage with a coffin on it. My first Southern funeral, I discovered how different things were.

So many places, so much history. 

 

I tasted my first corn dog from a street vendor. Made with cornmeal wrapped around a hotdog, deep fried and served on a skewer. I Dipped it in a little chilli sauce........oh so good.

BBQ places were everywhere and New Orleans' Cajun food was good, spicy and HOT!

So much seafood was to be had and I had it! Gumbo and Soft Shell Crabs, both very different and delicious.

Chowder, a fish or clam soup.  There are two types I discovered, there may be other varieties. One, a creamy version known as New England Clam Chowder, the other a tomato base called Manhattan Clam Chowder.
Now, I would like to share my Creamy Seafood Chowder.

Bernadette's Creamy Seafood Chowder

 Serves 4 People

Ingredients

12 Large green prawns (3 per serve) - shelled and deviened 
400gms white flesh fish - cubed 1 inch pieces
2 sprigs of fresh parsley  - chopped
1 large onion peeled and diced

2 medium potatoes -  peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery - diced

2 litres fish stock

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 teaspoon vegetable cooking oil

3 tablespoons plain flour

Half a cup of thickened cream

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pot place butter and oil (oil should help prevent butter burning) add onions and celery, cook until soft. Take off heat and stir in flour until mixture combines.

Stir in fish stock a little at a time until you put in the 2 litres. Return to heat and put in the potatoes cook a further 5 to10 minutes until potatoes slightly soften. Soup texture should also be thickening.

Finally, place in cream, prawns and fish. Cook a further 10 minutes until prawns turn pink and fish firms. Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you want soup a little thicker, mix 2 tablespoons of cornflour into half a cup of cold water.  Gradually stir into soup until you get the thickness required. Be careful, you must keep stirring soup while adding corn flour mix or you may get glue like lumps in soup.

Serve with fresh crusty bread.

.