Smoked haddock, potato and sweetcorn chowder

Not many posts recently, as there haven't been many new recipes - when I'm snowed under with work tea tends to head towards the family classics.

This one was new though, and inspired by the lovely Nigel's suppers on BBC1.

Makes enough for 4 greedy adults. You'll need:

a large fillet or two of smoked haddock (undyed is probably nicer, but day-glo yellow means it looks pretty...)
a large onion, finely chopped
a large tin of sweetcorn, or a mugful of frozen sweetcorn (defrosted)
lots of potatoes - 4 or 5 large ones, peeled and diced
milk - about a pint

First of all, poach the fish in the milk. Bung both into a large pan, and gently heat the milk until it's almost boiling. Turn down, and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Drain the fish (keep the milk!), and flake into large chunks (removing any bones, and discarding the skin).

Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're translucent. Add the potatoes, and swish round in the oil. Add a mugful of boiling water to the potato/onion mixture and the rest of the fishy milk. Season with lots of black pepper, and simmer until the potato chunks are cooked.

Add the sweetcorn/fish, and warm through.

Serve with lots of fresh crusty bread, maybe topped with a little cream cheese.

Sweetcorn chowder

This is another one that you picked from looking at the pictures in the Nigella Express book - I think you were suckered in by the tortilla chips.

It made a great, if filling (boy does that semolina expand!) tea after a day of trekking to the library (Tyrannosaurus Drip was a big hit) and a trip out to visit friends.

Makes enough for 3. You'll need:

500g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
half a clove of garlic
a couple of spring onions, chopped
15g semolina (yes, that little)
750ml hot stock (I used vegetable, but I think proper chicken stock would be nicer)
lots of black pepper
a red chilli, sliced (this bit is definitely not for small children)

100g salted tortilla chips
grated cheese - a couple of handfuls

Stick the oven on - you need it warm enough to melt the cheese onto the tortilla chips, so probably about 180 degrees C should do it.

Shove the sweetcorn, garlic, spring onions and semolina into a blender, and whiz (you may have to add a little water to stop it getting clogged). Tip the mixture into the hot stock, bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, line an oven tray with foil, place the tortilla chips on top, and scatter the cheese over everything. Bung in the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted (keep an eye on it as you don't want everything to be burnt to a crisp).

To assemble, pour the chowder into bowls, and scatter the tortilla chips/chilli slices on top.