Vegetable and mussel chowder

Pack this one full of vegetables.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2½ cups water
24 fresh mussels in shell
2 Tbsp cornflour
1 cup fresh or frozen New Zealand sweet corn kernels
1 cup frozen peas
1 x 400g can evaporated milk.

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan and gently cook onion, carrot and celery.
Add garlic and cook briefly.
Add potatoes and water and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer gently.
Add mussels and cook until they are all open.
Remove mussels and take the mussel meat from the shells, discarding any that don’t open.
Chop mussel meat roughly and set aside.
Add peas and corn to the saucepan.
Add evaporated milk.
Return to a gentle simmer.
Mix cornflour with a little cold water to form a thin paste.
Slowly add cornflour paste to chowder mixing constantly until the desired thickness is reached.
Return chopped mussel meat to the saucepan.
Serve immediately.