Ken's basic chowder

[chef k-dude]

Felt good enough to snap some pics last night for the first time in a while. I make chowder usually a couple times a winter and it's been chilly again here in Central Virginia...got down to 27 overnight.

The spread

Potatoes peeled and diced about 1/2" and in the pot with the juice from the clams and the bottle of clam juice, a Bay leaf and a pinch of granulated chicken bouillon for salt/umami. Boiled carefully till not quite totally soft. Careful to not obliterate the potatoes.

Diced onion and celery, sauteed in butter and olive oil. Coarse black pepper and red pepper flakes. Chopped garlic in there for 30 seconds.

Then flour for about 30 seconds to a minute, then slowly adding a half and half/heavy whipping cream mixture. Cooked till thick and bubbly, 3-5 minutes.

That goes in to the pot now, all mixed together and heated through. At this point, I turned the eye off and let 'er sit. It wasn't dinnertime yet.

Getting close to time to eat, I added the drained clams, a squirt of Texas Pete and a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. While that was getting hot I microwaved three large slices of bacon (the ready to go stuff) for two of us and chopped a couple large green onions. Also put some oyster crackers in serving bowls for serving on the side.

Ready to eat...in the bowl

For me, a healthy squirt of Texas Pete and some fresh cracked black pepper

Then topped with crumbled bacon and chopped green onions

And I love me some oyster crackers, sprinkling them in as I eat so they dont get soggy.

Pretty tasty for a chilly April Virginia night.

 

[smokerjim]

That's some good looking chowder

 

[kilo charlie]

Looks delicious !

 

[chopsaw]

Looks good . Never used to eat chowders until my Son started making them . Good stuff .
Could use some here with the weather that rolled back in .

love me some oyster crackers,

Little bit of olive oil and seasoned to your liking . Then in the smoker or oven .
Makes a good snack .

 

[Hijack73]

looks good

I like to chop up a fair bit of salt pork and use the drippings to make a very blond roux (think béchamel) and thicken it up a tick with that. I know, I know, purists will say not to add any flour to a chowder, but I make a gallon when I make it and the roux helps it keep nice and thick until I guzzle it all down. I also sometimes toss in a stick of butter, but that's because I'm a fat pig who likes it decadent....

I will use bacon or jowl, but I prefer salt pork for this.

 

[sandyut]

ok, that looks real good man!

 

[DRKsmoking]

Great looking chowder, nice and thick. love all the toppings.
Never really thought to top a chowder, but maybe next time.

That is how thick we make it also. But we normally do fish chowder, Wife would love yours .

David.

 

[chef k-dude]

Looks good . Never used to eat chowders until my Son started making them . Good stuff .
Could use some here with the weather that rolled back in .


Little bit of olive oil and seasoned to your liking . Then in the smoker or oven .
Makes a good snack .

I ran in to one recipe out there that recommended this. A great idea. Spray olive oil would make that real easy. I dont buy many store-bought seasoning mixes, preferring to make my own, but a hint of old bay on the oyster crackers could be interesting with the chowder (purists are gagging and rolling their eyes...mix Maryland with New England?...uhhh!). I think I will try that tonight with leftovers!

looks good

I like to chop up a fair bit of salt pork and use the drippings to make a very blond roux (think béchamel) and thicken it up a tick with that. I know, I know, purists will say not to add any flour to a chowder, but I make a gallon when I make it and the roux helps it keep nice and thick until I guzzle it all down. I also sometimes toss in a stick of butter, but that's because I'm a fat pig who likes it decadent....

I will use bacon or jowl, but I prefer salt pork for this.

Sounds tasty. I never have salt pork, but I can see substituting pork fat or bacon grease for the olive oil in the roux. I'll have to remember that. I try to keep bacon grease on hand even though it makes doctors cringe! Of course they follow guidelines like the AMA/AHA/CDC who had us eating trans fats and now seed oils that are becoming suspect. Eggs and avocados were killing us only some decades ago...

I didn't provide the ratios because I figure either most people have a chowder recipe or they would ask if they want it. The fat basis for this bechamel is a half stick (4 tbls) butter and 2 tbls olive oil (to 1/3 cup flour) in what you see here, so its fairly rich. Gonna make that bacon fat note for next time though.

I know, the "purists". I dont worry about them much. Most of them are not eating my food. I suppose if I grew up in New England I would have very strict opinions on chowder...and other things.

I was raised to think for myself and do what I want. I have my "have to do's" but they were developed over time from my personal preferences, not what some "region" has decided "has to be"! It's all good, everyone can like what they like and folks have that "the way mom made it" thing. My mom was/is NOT an outstanding cook, so I was released on to the world with an open palate!

Great looking chowder, nice and thick. love all the toppings.
Never really thought to top a chowder, but maybe next time.

That is how thick we make it also. But we normally do fish chowder, Wife would love yours .

David.

Gotta be thick for me. It's not a soup in my brain, its closer to stew for my liking, although a more watery chowder is fine...I'm just not making it! I'll make potato soup if I want soup, which is also in my recipe collection, sometimes with ham, not clams or seafood.

The oyster crackers was all I used when eating stuff out of a can (once I discovered them; it was saltines before that). Seldom ever saw them served at a restaurant, always saltines, and never enough; but again, there are no authentic New England restaurants in Virginia that I know of! When I decided to make my own chowder, it was online recipes that inspired the bacon and green onions, but usually a smattering you can barely taste. As you can see I tend to "step on" things with both feet!

 

[chopsaw]

pray olive oil would make that real easy.

That's what I use . Doesn't take much .

hint of old bay on the oyster crackers

That would be great . I did a test with some sausage not long ago . 1 TBL Old Bay per pound of ground pork . No cure , just grilled . It was really good . Be a great sausage soup with a Manhattan style base .

Looking back at the pictures , the chopped green onion and bacon makes that bowl .

 

[DRKsmoking]

Gotta be thick for me. It's not a soup in my brain, its closer to stew for my liking, although a more watery chowder is fine...I'm just not making it! I'll make potato soup if I want soup, which is also in my recipe collection, sometimes with ham, not clams or seafood.

Yes, I am on the thick team for most stews and chowders. I can do stew with a clear broth or I really like a nice thicker broth and a big batch of Doughboys or Dumpling if you will.

Now I want dough boys.... so stew this weekend coming up.

David

 

[chef k-dude]

We, I did the Old Bay seasoned oyster crackers with somewhat mixed results. Most of the seasoning stuck to the side of the bowl rather than on the crackers. Maybe a heavier spray of the olive oil next time.

The concept was great of course. If I were to want these just for snacking straight in to my face, I would have wanted the seasoning to be heavier, stuck on better. But for adding to the chowder as I eat along ( I dont just dump them in there, I sprinkle a little in at a time and get a couple on the spoon with each bite...I know, a bit detailed but that how I eat sometimes!) it was just enough to enhance the overall flavor of the chowder and toppings.

And get this. It popped in to my head about parmesean cheese. Or, rather the shaker can stuff I call "parmesean seasoning" ( I used to be a cheese snob and never ate that stuff for some years). We like it over a plate of spaghetti, on pizza and some other stuff (as a former cheese snob, I know its a bit "low brow"). I looked it up, and sure enough there was a recipe using parm IN a chowder and that and another one using in ON chowder servings.

I shook a bit over my bowl, over top of the other toppings...and liked it! The purists are pshawing me big time right now...

Here's the oyster crackers, you can see not a lot stuck to them. I'll try again. Baked for 10, mixed them up and baked another 6 minutes at 250.

Yes, I am on the thick team for most stews and chowders. I can do stew with a clear broth or I really like a nice thicker broth and a big batch of Doughboys or Dumpling if you will.

Now I want dough boys.... so stew this weekend coming up.

David

I never got dumplings right, but love them. I've been playing with sourdough discard starter, making some brownies and some really good waffles. Looks like sourdough dumplings are in my future! Too bad we're leaving soup season, but maybe there is still time...there's always fall in 5 or 6 months...That's Virginia, dont like the weather?...just wait a few months...it will change!

Next up for me is a pot of Gumbo, then I was planning on shifting to my spring and summer menu.

 

[Ishi]

I like it!

 

[JLeonard]

Man i'd like a big bowl of that!

Jim

 

[jcam222]

Chowder looks great! I'd be in for a bowl of that on a still cold Ohio day.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Yes I love dough boys ( dumplings ) and I never thought of discard. But than again I just got into SD.

Let me know if you do it and how it turns out.

Virginia, dont like the weather?...just wait a few months...it will change

Around here on the coastal area, it is " Don't like the weather, wait a minute ", lol

David

ps: congrats on the carousel ride, well deserved.

.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Ken, I love cream based chowders and soups, my wife not so much, and yours looks and sounds right up my alley. Growing up, dad made catfish stew and oyster chowder and they were cream based. My wife prefers clear or tomato based soups and chowders. Just can't figure out how we've been together for over 44 years...

 

[chef k-dude]

ps: congrats on the carousel ride, well deserved.

I did not see that coming. I just hadn't felt like taking photos lately...hadn't been feeling well but for some reason perked up lately. On a heart monitor now for a couple weeks but had already told myself to buck up and get back to life, be danged if my heart wants to misbehave, I have life to live! A pretty cool pat on the back to that!

Ken, I love cream based chowders and soups, my wife not so much, and yours looks and sounds right up my alley. Growing up, dad made catfish stew and oyster chowder and they were cream based. My wife prefers clear or tomato based soups and chowders. Just can't figure out how we've been together for over 44 years...

I like them all! I've never tried my hand at a Manhattan (or is it "Mah-hah-ihn"?) chowder...funny that...my wife doesn't care for it in general! Otherwise I would have probably made it by now! It's not like she doesn't like tomatoes or broth, I make a mean turkey or chicken carcass soup and she loves it. I make gazpacho all summer long and she digs that too...dont know what her hangup is with the Manhattan style chowder..maybe I should make it...she just hasn't had "mine"...whatever that would end up bieng

 

[crazymoon]

CKD, I'll take a bowl of chowder and several handfuls of your crackers please !

 

[Fueling Around]

Do what you do! And you do it well!
We always make any recipe to our liking.
If the "purists" complain it simply means they aren't making it with enough flavor.
Congrats on the feature.

 

[DRKsmoking]

I did not see that coming. I just hadn't felt like taking photos lately...hadn't been feeling well but for some reason perked up lately. On a heart monitor now for a couple weeks but had already told myself to buck up and get back to life, be danged if my heart wants to misbehave, I have life to live! A pretty cool pat on the back to that!

It was a good post , and why not you.
I hope it is nothing too serious. Fingers crossed.

And sometimes we just have to shake our heads , kick our own behinds and get back into it. Until you know the reasons and than deal with it .

Like I said , I hope nothing too serious.

David