Corn Chowder with Grilled Tuna Sandwiches

During my breastfeeding sessions I have been watching quite a bit of daytime television as you can imagine. My favourite shows are the Marylin Dennis show and the Chew. They really inspire me to cook up some delicious meals that are a little bit of a break from our routine and definitely more seasonal. The Chew and the chef and TV personality Daphne Oz inspired me to change up my tuna salad a bit. I usually add lemon juice, mayo, carrot and celery. She adds apple, curry and raisins and I thought it must be delicious! You could easily substitute chicken for tuna, especially any leftover chicken you might have will work.

Summer is here in full swing and the fresh, local produce is available and abundant. Tomatoes, pickles, peppers, zucchini flowers which I love in quesadillas, cherries, berries, peaches and pears. Soon we will have gorgeous apples. But for now I am trying to focus on corn. Corn is the sweetest and the juiciest now. I love it simply boiled quickly, served with lime and chilli butter or fresh in a potato salad. I love it in corn cakes or a Mexican lasagna. Best of all, a corn chowder where not only you use the kernels but also you flavour the broth with the cobs for a deeper and more fragrant flavour profile. In this recipe chipotle pepper gives it a bit of a kick but not too much. It has a perfect amount of spice and sweetness.

grilled tuna sandwiches

(inspired by Daphne Oz)

2 cans of tuna in water

half a green apple, chopped thinly

a little bit of red onion, chopped

half a large carrot, shredded

a handful of raisins

1/4 cup mayo, a little bit of Greek yogurt

lemon juice, salt, pepper and curry to taste

provolone cheese or cheddar

bread and butter

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together. I like to stir the curry with mayo and yogurt first so there are no chunks of curry in the sauce but sprinkle the lemon juice directly on the tuna. Spread some butter on the outside of the slice of bread, put the tuna salad inside, add the cheese and cover with another slice of bread. More butter on top. Grill on both sides until the cheese is bubbly and melted. Serve with soup- in the summer, corn chowder is my favourite. I used some chicken stock here but if you want a more "chowdery" flavour use some shrimp shells and boil those in some water first.

Another TV show inspired recipe was the corn chowder, which is not only delicious, packed with veggies and economical since corn is in season, abundant and cheap this time of the year. It makes a perfect pairing with the gooey, grilled cheese sandwich. My partner even said right after eating it- Now we can get married! How good is that then? You must try these recipes and this perfect pair for a summer dinner.

corn chowder

(Cristine Cushing)

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 stalk celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup dry white wine

1 dried chipotle chili or chipotle in adobo sauce

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Pinch allspice

2 cobs of corn

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped green onions for serving

In a large pot heat butter, add the onion, garlic and celery and sauté for about four or five minutes, until soft and golden. Add the white wine and chipotle, stir. Add the carrots, potatoes, thyme, allspice and corn and stir.  Add the stock and cobs from corn and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low. Simmer for about 30-35 minutes. Remove chipotle pepper and corncobs and discard. For a spicy soup puree the entire chili with the soup. Add the coconut milk and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.  Adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with sliced green onions.