CHOWDER     GUMBO      SOUP       STEW

CHOWDER

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

14 oz. clams, minced
½ c bacon, diced or salt pork
½ c onion, chopped
2 c liquid from clam + water
2 c potatoes, diced
1 t salt
dash pepper
4 c milk
2 T parsley, chopped

Fry bacon or salt pork until brown. Drain on paper. Add onion to fat in pan and cook until transparent. Add liquid – seasonings. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add milk and clams. Heat, but DO NOT BOIL. Serve hot, sprinkle with bacon and parsley.


NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

II

¼# salt pork, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 c boiling water
3 med potatoes, diced
1 t salt
¼ t pepper
16 oz. cans minced clams
16 oz. milk
1 c light cream
thyme

Fry salt pork in skillet until brown and crisp; remove and drain. Sauté onion in remaining fat until golden and clear. Add water – pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add clams with liquid and heat. Add milk and cream; season to taste. Simmer until ready to serve, do not allow to boil. Serve in bowls topped with salt pork and dash of thyme.


RICH and THICK CLAM CHOWDER

III

1 qt. chicken stock
1/3# bacon, chopped, blanched
6 celery, chopped
2 yellow onions
salt and pepper
1/3 t thyme
1 ½# potatoes, cubed with peeling left on
1 stick butter
½ c flour
2 c milk or ½ and ½
19 oz clams and juice, fresh is better
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped

Sauté celery and onions in butter, then add to stock, spices and potatoes. Simmer until tender, NOT MUSHY. Make a roux of butter and flour. Then stir into milk or cream gradually so no lumps and simmer. Add clam juice only and stir milk into stock. Add tomatoes and simmer a few more minutes. Put clams in and garnish with parsley.

QUICK ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

IV

Serves 6 - 8

2 oz salt pork, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, minced
16 oz can clams, chopped
8 oz can clam juice
2 c milk
16 oz can potatoes, diced
1/4# butter
4 T flour

Sauté pork, onion, and celery in soup pot. Do not brown. Add clam juice
and bring to boil. Add milk and bring back to boil. Add potatoes, clam
with juice and bring to boil.

Make roux with butter and flour, then add to soup until desired
thickness. Serve hot.

Soup can be frozen up to three months.

THANKS, TOM ROMANO! Tom hails from New York and chose Florida to retire to enjoy the good life. He continues his art of cooking, much to the
satisfaction of anyone eating his food.


MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

2 oz salt pork
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
16 oz. clams, chopped
8 oz baby whole clams
16 oz bottle clam juice
16 oz can tomatoes w/juice, diced
16 oz potatoes diced
8 oz can cut green beans
8 oz can carrots, diced

Sauté salt pork w/onions and celery. Do not brown. Add all ingredients and bring to boil.
 

Serve Hot.

THANKS, again TOM ROMANO!

QUICK MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Yield: 6 servings

1/3 c onion flakes
½ t instant garlic, minced
¼ c water
2 T butter
28 oz. tomatoes, broken up
1# canned potatoes, whole, drained and diced
10 oz can clams, minced
8 oz. clam juice
1 bay leaf
1 t thyme leaves
salt and pepper
1 ½ T parsley flakes

Re-hydrate onion flakes and minced garlic in water for 10 minutes. Melt butter and add onion and garlic, sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes – pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes; sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
 

QUICK CLAM & CORN CHOWDER

1 yellow onion
16 oz cream corn
16 oz can milk from corn
pepper
dill to taste
13 oz clams and juice

Sauté onion in butter and add to corn – dill. Simmer until hot. Add clams and juice. 

DO NOT cook too long.


COD SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Serves 4

2# firm-fleshed seafood, cod, haddock, snapper, cut into 2” chunks
½ # bacon, cut into 1” pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 med. red potatoes, diced to ½”
2 c bottled clam juice or 1 bottle with 2 – 6 oz. clams and juice
2 c skim milk
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 T fat and cook onion over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add potatoes – milk. Raise heat to a rolling boil, reduce to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Add fish and cook 12 minutes or until fish is opaque and potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with crisp bacon.

TUNA CHOWDER

4 slices bacon
1/3 c minced onion
10 ¾ oz. can cream of potato soup
¼ t pepper
2 c milk
7 oz. can tuna, drained and flaked

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove and drain, crumble. Discard all but 2 T bacon fat from pan. Add onions and cook over moderate heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly until transparent, but not brown. Add soup, milk, tuna, bacon and pepper. Mix well. Stir until simmering. Turn heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

Do Not Boil.


WALLEYE CHOWDER

Serves 6

1# walleye fillets, cut into ¾” pcs. (or any firm white fish)
6 – 8 oz. piece of salt pork
1- ¾ c chopped onion
1 – ½ c chopped celery
1 t dried thyme
½ c finely crushed saltine crackers
1 – ½# potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pcs.
2 c bottled clam juice
1 – ½ c half and half
½ c whipping cream or ½ c more of half and half
¼ c chopped fresh dill

Stir salt pork in heavy Dutch oven or medium stock pot on medium to low heat about 20 minutes until rendered. Discard pieces. Add onion, celery and thyme, simmer until golden brown. Add the crushed crackers and stir 3 minutes or until browned. Add the clam juice, potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Now add the walleye and simmer another 5 minutes or until cooked through. Add the half and half and cream and let simmer another 5 minutes. Do not boil. Mix in dill and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Editor’s Note: I try not to season my food with salt as people have individual tastes and medical situations. Put the shaker on the table.


WHITEFISH CHOWDER

Yield: 13 servings

4 c celery, diced
2 c onion, diced
1# spinach, frozen chopped, thawed, drained
½ c margarine
½ c butter
¼ c chicken base
1 ¾ T seasoning salt
¾ T pepper
¾ c flour
¾ gallon milk
4 c whitefish, cooked and boned

In soup kettle, combine celery – butter and simmer until celery is almost fork tender. Add chicken base, salt and pepper and simmer 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add flour, mix well. Slowly add milk and mix well. Add fish and stir. Cook on medium-low heat until chowder has thickened and is very hot, but do not let mixture boil. Stir often as chowder has tendency to scorch and stick. Cooking time is about 2 hours.


GUMBO

GULF STATES OYSTER GUMBO

Serves 4-6

4 T butter
1 ½ T minced onion
1 pint oysters
4 c fish stock or canned clam broth
1 c cooked or canned okra
2 c cooked or canned tomatoes
salt and pepper
2 T flour

Cook onion in 2 T butter until lightly browned. Add oysters and their liquid, stock, okra, tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Bring slowly to the boiling point. Add a smooth paste made of 2 T butter and 2 T flour. Stir until smooth.


SEAFOOD GUMBO

3 T cooking oil
3 T flour
1 large onion
2 or 3 cloves garlic
½ bell pepper
3 qt. water
salt, black and red pepper
1 pint crab meat
1 pint peeled shrimp
1 pint oysters and liquid
½ pkg. frozen okra
½ c chopped parsley
3 – 4 chopped green onions

Make a roux with the oil and flour. Cook slowly, stirring often until brown. Chop the onion, garlic and pepper fine and add to roux. Add salt and peppers to taste. Then add the crab meat and cook about an hour. Next, add the shrimp, liquid from the oysters and the okra and cook until these test done when forked. About 15 minutes before serving, add oysters, parsley and green onions. Serve on rice. This gumbo freezes well.
 

SEAFOOD MUSHROOM SOUP WITH SHERRY

6 T butter
½ c and 1 T flour
2 t minced garlic
1 ½ t thyme – whisked and cook 3 minutes
3 c clam juice or any fish stock
3 c ½ & ½
2 c uncooked, chopped seafood combinations such as haddock, clams, shrimp, lobster or crab
½ c sliced mushrooms sautéed in 2 T butter
½ c diced celery sautéed in 2 T butter
1 c cooked long grain & wild rice
½ c dry sherry wine
chives, chopped for garnish

Whisk and cook first 4 ingredients. Add clam juice and cream and whisk. Add the other ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with chives.

* Good place to use a variety of fish



STEW
 

CRABMEAT STEW

Serves 6

2 T butter
6 small soda crackers
2 c crabmeat (fresh is best)
1/2 c water
1 qt. milk
salt and pepper
13 oz can evaporated milk

Melt butter slowly in kettle in which you are to make the stew. Roll
out crackers as fine as flour. Place crumbs and crabmeat in butter.
Add water and let bubble for one minute. Pour in fresh milk and stir
constantly until small bubbles appear on the surface, do not boil.
Season to taste.

Note:  A double boiler would eliminate the necessity for constant stirring.