Recipe: South American Shrimp Chowder (Chupe)

SOUTH AMERICAN SHRIMP CHOWDER (CHUPE)
Source: Splendid Soups: Recipes and Master Techniques for Making the World's Best Soups by James Peterson
Makes 8 (first-course) servings

I had never thought of combining spicy flavors like peppers and cilantro with potatoes until a few years ago, when I read a recipe for this soup. Since then I've been hopelessly addicted. A chupe (pronounced choopay) is a South American chowder that, in addition to potatoes and cream like its North American cousins, contains hot peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro. This version uses only shrimp, but other fish or shellfish can be added as well.

Shrimp chupe can be made entirely in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
24 medium-size shrimp, preferably with heads, 1 pound without heads, 1 1/2 pounds with heads, peeled and deveined
8 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped; or 4 cups canned
tomatoes, seeded and drained
3 medium-size potatoes, peeled, 1/2 roughly cubed and 1/2 cut into 1/4-inch cubes, divided use
3 cups fish or chicken broth or water, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat, stew the onions, garlic, and peppers in the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot until the vegetable soften, about 10 minutes. Don't let the vegetables brown. Put the shrimp peels (and the heads if you have them) in the pot with the vegetables and cook for 5 more minutes over medium heat.

Add the tomatoes, the roughly cubed potatoes, and 2 cups of the broth to the pot with the vegetables and shrimp trimmings. Cover the pot and simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes have softened thoroughly.

While the soup base is cooking, simmer the cubed potato in the remaining broth in a covered pot until it just begins to soften, about 20 minutes.

Strain the soup base through the fine disk of a food mill, or puree it in a blender or food processor a little bit at a time and strain it through a medium-mesh strainer. If you want the soup to have a smoother consistency, strain it again through a fine-mesh strainer.

Combine the soup base and the cooked potato cubes with their cooking liquid in a pot with the heavy cream and the chopped cilantro. Bring the soup to a simmer and add the shrimp. Cook about 2 minutes or until the shrimp are just done. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately in hot bowls.

VARIATIONS:
Different vegetables such as corn kernels or peas can be added to this chupe, as well as different fish or shellfish.