Nice, hot chowders
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
According to “The New Food Lover’s Companion,” chowder is “A thick, chunky seafood soup, of which clam chowder is the most well known. The name comes from the French chaudière, a caldron in which fishermen made their stews fresh from the sea.”
Kate Houchins (Andy’s little sister) is an excellent cook. She lives over in Missouri and when we all met this last Christmas she promised me a chowder recipe.
Kate says: “I was in a chowder mood and modified a couple of recipes to fit my palate (I’m not overly fond of really thick clam chowder).” Kate and her guy Dan love garlic, so Kate dry-roasted a whole pod of garlic in a toaster oven until soft (15 min. at 350 degrees). She also says you can cook your own potatoes instead of using canned. Thanks Kate!
KATE’S CLAM CHOWDER
1 med. white onion chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 -1 pod garlic, roasted
1/2 cup flour
3 cup turkey stock, warmed
1/2 cup corn (more or less)
2 10-oz cans white potatoes
Hot sauce or worcestershire
2 6-oz cans minced clams
salt and pepper to taste
parsley
bay leaves
1/2 - 1 cup sake (or dry white wine)
Half and half or cream
Using a heavy-bottomed soup pot, sauté onion and celery in butter and a little olive oil until translucent. Add the roasted garlic, then sprinkle the flour all over. Cook a few minutes more to make a light roux, then add the turkey stock (or chicken or vegetable stock).
Stir it all up, then add the potatoes and corn. Toss in a shot of Pickapeppa, Tabasco, or worcestershire and let it “get busy”!
Warm the clams and their juice with 1/2 to 1 cup of sake (or broth), and add a couple of bay leaves. Mix this with the soup; add salt, pepper, parsley and some half and half. Kate says to “let them get to know each other,” so keep the soup at a low burble for about 5 minutes before serving.
What a nice, juicy clam chowder. Get out the oyster crackers and enjoy yourself!
I am unfortunately afflicted with a food allergy: oysters. It makes me so sad, because I used to love to have them fried in a New Orleans Po-Boy. Well, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this next recipe. You can substitute clams for oysters if you like, but, either way, fresh is best. If you can’t get sea bass, substitute another firm white fish.
SEAFOOD CHOWDER
18 fresh, large oysters
4 Tbsp. butter
1 large, white onion, diced
3 shallots, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
5 strips bacon, diced
3 tsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups fish stock
2 cups clam juice (bottled is fine)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large potatoes, diced
2 oz. Virginia ham, diced
2 cups corn
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sherry
4 drops Tabasco
1 lb. sea bass fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
16 oz. jumbo lump crab meat
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Shuck the oysters (if necessary — be careful) and strain the liquor through a fine mesh sieve. Save the juice.
In a sauté pan, add the butter and heat until bubbling. Add the onion, shallots and thyme and cook until the onions are transparent. In a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, fry bacon and cook until crisp. Reduce heat, add the flour and cook the roux for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the fish stock, clam juice, oyster liquor, white wine, potatoes, and Virginia ham. Bring to a simmer. Add the cooked leek-onion mixture and cook until reduced by one-quarter. Add the corn and cook for 4 minutes. Add the cream, sherry and hot sauce and cook 4 more minutes, stirring to prevent scorching.
Add the fish, crab meat and oysters and cook a minute or two longer. Check seasonings (watch the salty ham), and ladle into warmed bowls (serves 6). Serve with hot cornbread and cold lager.
Chowders have expanded beyond seafood over the years. They are a really good way to get your daily allowance of vegetables in the winter. This recipe could be a first course or an entire meal (and what a great name!).
RED PEPPER CHEDDAR CHOWDER
1 small head broccoli
1 large red potato
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated
Cut the broccoli into very small (1-inch) florets. Parboil broccoli in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups of that flavorful cooking water for the chowder.
Cut the potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over moderate heat. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper and garlic in butter, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened. Stir in cumin, salt, pepper and mustard and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes to build the roux.
Whisk in the broccoli water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then re-season as needed with salt and pepper.
Purée about 2 cups of chowder in a blender until smooth and return to pot. Add the broccoli florets and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Yum! Get some of your favorite hot sauces out of the fridge and ladle up a big bowl. For a change, serve with toasted pita chips.
MURPHY’S SPICY
PITA CHIPS
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/4 cup olive oil
3 pitas with pockets
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast the seeds in an iron skillet over moderate heat and cool. Use a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle to grind seeds and salt with paprika and cayenne. Whisk this with the olive oil in a small bowl.
Split each pita into 2 rounds and brush oil on the insides. Cut each round into wedges and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Very tasty!
Next week we’ll have a special column about celiac sprue and gluten-free foods. It’s pretty amazing what you need to know about all this. Your challenge for the week after that is for a humble, sturdy vegetable. Often featured with a corned beef or in egg rolls: its the CABBAGE. From Chowder to Kim Chee, what do you like to do with your cabbage?
Send that delicious recipe to me at murphysmenu@yahoo.com or The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Box C, Emporia, KS 66801. Let’s get cooking!
Comments
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)