Louise Gardiner: Co Co Coromandel!

I took this photo for my friend JEMSICALS!!!

Have had a fabulous weekend in the Coromandel with two friends of mine who I used to see at the pub in Bristol. It was amazing to see them... I felt like 70% of my personality had gone on hold and even though it was an amazing experience of peoples houses I needed to see friends who knew me for longer than 5 minutes and had some relation to my life back there and then.

I sat in a cafe waiting ... having bused it from Rotorua and walked in the rain rain rain... there suddenly was A's face squashed on the door making silly faces. What a cutey! She is exceptionally beautiful lady and there she was tongue and nose firmly pressed against the glass. Outside there was J, sat in the battered old camper van (super zooper dooper VAN exceptional) so I jumped straight in and we all went to buy supplies for our mini adventure to the BUSH!

Our only heating other than hotties. My fire starting skills came in handy and soon it was pumping out heat which subsequently wafted out of the holes in the walls but we put our thermals and booze blankets on and I made a fantastic (even though I do say it myself!) Louiji Gardinelly FISHY SOUPY! Its has become my classic dish although this was a new variety ... I will tell you how to make it.

IT IS absolutely bloody delicious!

YOU NEED -

2 onions

3 Spuds chopped

1/2 Leek chopped

1 chopped sweet potato

2/ 3 cloves fresh garlic chopped

1 rd chili chopped

OPTIONAL chorizo

Pack of either smoked haddock OR a piece of smoked salmon ... (not the slice variety you have on brown bread but a piece of salmon)

1 tin tomatoes

1 teaspoon red curry paste

1 teaspoon turmeric

salt and fresh black pepper

nearly half a bottle or white wine

Vegetable stock cube

1 teaspoon sugar preferably cane

water

Cream

Spinach

Saute the onions and the leek, sweet potato, add the turmeric and the stock cube, chopped chili and the garlic, cook and stir, add the chopped chorizo at this point if you are not a vegetarian, add the tin of tomatoes, salt and pepper, sugar, red curry paste, keep stirring ..... add the chopped potatoes, the wine, flake and skin the fish and throw that in.... Let it simmer for an hour .... add water .... according to thickness.... A couple of minutes before serving add spinach and one minute before serving add cream. SERVE with crusty bread and REAL butter. OPTIONAL AND AMAZING .... add chopped cheddar to the centre of the soup before serving too or put on table as optional extra.

This will be even nicer next day and the day after so make plenty and freeze some for another time.

YEAH YEAH! YEAH!!!!

Then have a game of tennis.

This is a little insight into where we were staying in the Coromandel -- avec darts board OF COURSE!!!! And resident jumping eating thing launching itself off the side boards in the middle of the night which made me regularly sit up in bed with a start and clap frantically.