I suppose we all have those foods that we simply can’t walk away from. One of mine is a really good chowder.
There must be something familial about being a chowder-head as evidenced by Jess’ recent visit over the holiday; we ended up out for a big bowl of piping hot clam chowder at our favorite seafood and chowder house twice in five days.
As palate pleasing as a good clam chowder can be, my southwestern roots alway manifest when talk turns to chowder as inevitably out come the recipes featuring corn, chiles and other more non-clam ingredients.
Our penchant for ‘the other chowders’ stems in part from the fact that fresh clams aren’t the easiest find in the northern Rockies, Montana in particular. My friends would probably argue that I’m a cheap, pedestrian bastard, though they mean to say I like to cook good food with simple ingredients that don’t require ‘an investment’ of hard-earned cash to prepare.
This is a particularly great chowder given as it features bacon, the all important vitamin B that makes just about every concievable food on the planet better.
Add the corn, three cheeses and a hint of southwestern spices and it’s a home run. And this recipe makes a big pot of chowder; you’ll have enough to feed 8 hungry guests or more.
1/2 pound good, thick-sliced bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
10 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
6 potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 scant tbsp. thyme (dried)
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sage
1 tbsp. fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. salt (or to taste)
4 cups corn
3 cups evaporated milk
1 cup medium cheddar, grated
1 cup white cheddar, grated
1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated
4 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Sherry, more grated cheese and oyster crackers
Sauté. In your trusty stock pot sauté the bacon until just browned; add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.
Cook the spuds. Now add the water, wine, potatoes, thyme, cumin, sage, pepper, bay leaves and salt. Cook until your spuds are done; we like ours to retain a bit of firmness.
Make it a chowder. Add the corn, evaporated milk (it doesn’t curdle) and the cheeses; cook for 15 minutes or so to tenderize the corn.
Serve. Stir in the chopped parsley just before serving. Serve immediately with a splash of sherry, a sprinkling of grated cheese and a handful of oyster crackers if you’re so inclined.
Enjoy.
