I once heard Glory Foods founder, the late Bill Williams, justify cooking with his company's Southern-
inspired canned greens in a way that made me forever stop apologizing for shortcuts: "These won't be as good as the `Sunday best' greens you remember your mother making, but I guarantee they'll be the best Tuesday night greens you ever rushed to prepare."

I make the same claim for this recipe laced with my best weekday shortcuts. I've eaten better chowders on Martha's Vineyard. But this quick fix has been known to draw raves from hungry family and friends as a quick weekday dinner.

MENU:

Shrimp and fish chowder

French bread

Arugula and mushrooms tossed with Dijon vinaigrette

Vanilla bean ice cream and butter cookies

TIPS:

Substitute the shrimp and fish with a 1-pound package of cleaned mixed seafood (I found shrimp, fish, scallops and squid in a neat package at Trader Joe's in the freezer case.)

Use more of the Thai chili paste if you like spicy food.

BEVERAGE PAIRING:

Your favorite dark ale complements this thick, rich chowder.

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SHRIMP AND FISH CHOWDER

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

2 baking potatoes, pierced in several pieces with a fork

1 each, trimmed, coarsely chopped: onion, celery rib, green pepper

4 slices bacon

2 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 bottles (4 ounces each) clam juice

½ cup whole milk

1 can (12 ounces) unsweetened low-fat evaporated milk

2 white fish fillets, cut into chunks

½ pound peeled, deveined raw frozen shrimp, defrosted, coarsely chopped

¼ cup half-and-half

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Asian hot chili sauce, such as sambal oelek, optional

1. Cook the potatoes in a microwave on high (100 percent) until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Peel; cut into chunks. Set aside. Meanwhile, process the onion, celery and green pepper in a food processor until coarsely chopped; set aside. Cook the bacon, turning occasionally, in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

2. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the reserved onion, celery and green pepper; cook over medium-high heat. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the reserved potatoes, bay leaves, fish sauce, seafood seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until well mixed, about 1 minute.

3. Add the clam juice and both kinds of milk; heat just to a boil. Add the fish chunks and shrimp; lower heat to a simmer. Stir in the half-and-half. Cover; cook until fish is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble the bacon; stir in the bacon, fresh parsley and chili sauce, if using.

Nutrition information per serving: 264 calories, 29 percent of calories from fat, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 111 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 884 mg sodium, 2 g fiber