Scallop and Sweet Potato Chowder
I've long been a fan of New England Clam Chowder, though my opinions about it have changed over the years. When I first enjoyed it, in my late teens/early 20s, I preferred the thick, pasty Ho-Jo's style, largely because I didn't really understand what chowder was about. I was excited by the bread-bowl and the trappings more than the flavor and texture. After living in Boston for a couple of years and then working at a clam shack on Cape Cod, I grew to understand real clam chowder, the thin style that's really just about the flavor of clams, broth, and the chunky potato/onion/bacon/celery combo that it's all cooked in. Thereafter I enjoyed eating chowder whenever I ate at restaurants that seemed likely to make the good stuff, but after eating the most unbelievable fish chowder at a restaurant while on my honeymoon along the coast of Maine, I knew I needed to start making my own. On that same trip, I came across Jasper White's amazing 50 Chowders book, and it started me on my own chowder-making journey.

My Scallop and Sweet Potato Chowder uses Jasper's basic concept for making chowder, taking off in new directions based on what we happened to have in the house one day. The scallops, sweet potatos, and white wine give the dish a bit of sweetness, and the curry powder and coconut milk add a delicate yet rich, complex flavor. This became an instant favorite. [I recommend Jasper's book as well - extremely interesting, informative, and most importantly, the chowders are great.]

Ingredients
4-5 slices bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 sweet potatos, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups stock - either fish, shrimp, chicken, or vegetable. [I use whatever combination I happen to have in my freezer, starting with the seafood ones.]
1 cup white wine
1.5 pounds bay scallops
12-13 oz. can of coconut milk (most of one 15 oz. can)

Instructions
Put the chopped bacon into a soup pot and cook on medium until crisp and all the fat has been released into the pan. Once it's cooked, remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan and then dump in the celery, garlic, and onion, stirring to coat everything in the bacon grease. Let cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 10 minutes or so.

Add the minced fennel seeds, curry powder, Old Bay, and salt and pepper to the pot, stirring to coat the onion mixture with the spices, and then let cook another minute or so.

Add the sweet potatos, the stock, and the white wine, making sure that the liquids barely cover the potatos. Turn up the heat, and bring the chowder to a rapid boil (uncovered). Once the liquid is boiling, it should take about 6-8 minutes to cook the sweet potatos. Don't overcook the sweet potatos, as they can become mushy.

Once the potatos are done, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the bay scallops. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes, allowing the scallops to cook.

Pour in the coconut milk (just less than 1 can) - it will probably be somewhere between 1 and 1.5 cups - and stir, making a thick creamy chowder. Let sit for another 10 minutes to make sure the scallops are completely cooked. The chowder will get better over time, so feel free to let it sit even longer before eating. I recommend re-heating by putting the chowder on the stove top and simmering. Do not bring to a boil or use the microwave.

Note that when I make this chowder (and almost all other chowders), I usually eat it with some sort of crouton or other crunchy bread item. I take some old loaf of bread that I've thrown in the freezer, cut it into little cubes, and then saute it slowly on the stove top with some oil and a little Adobo spice until the croutons are crunchy and almost burnt. This way, the crunch is retained when the croutons are dropped in the soup.