CHOWDER

IT'S SUMMER, or at least beginning to feel like it's over in a sense because the tomatoes are really ripe and delicious and the corn is very, very sweet. Taking sweet corn as my cue, I decided to make a corn chowder, which, when nearing the end, will then be incorporated into a delicious New England Clam Chowder. There is bacon and shellfish stock included in this recipe so, omit if you're vegetarian or a vegan and use vegetable stock instead of chicken or shellfish stock.

Corn Chowder

4 cups chicken or shellfish stock

4 cups water leftover from cooking corn

6 ears of fresh corn, cooked and kernels removed (reserve the cobs)

4 slices slab bacon, medium dice 

2 tbs. unsalted butter

1 chopped onion

1 leek (cleaned, trimmed and sliced, including parts of the green leaf)

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into medium dice

2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped

1 stalk scallion chopped

2 tsp. chopped tarragon

1 tsp. chopped thyme

1/2 cup chopped chives

salt and pepper to taste

3 or 4 gratings of nutmeg

2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 lbs. potatoes (peeled and diced)

2 doz. clams (for clam chowder)
chopped chives for garnish

Melt butter and bacon until most of the fat has been rendered from the bacon. Add the onions, leeks, celery carrot, scallion and saute until wilted and have rendered some of their juices. Continue to cook until the onions are translucent and add both the chicken and shellfish stocks. Add to that the corn cobbs and cook at a simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove corn cobs, add corn, diced potatoes, milk and heavy cream as well as the nutmeg and half the chives. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer and cook semi-covered for 2 hours, skimming as necessary. Mash the bottom of the stock pot to mash some of the potatoes and thicken the soup. There should be just a noticeable amount of reduction (about a cup or so). Garnish with more chives and serve. 

You can add the clams, or crabmeat or shrimp (or all three) at the end and turn this into clam or seafood chowder. (Removing the clam shells is optional.) I've found, this year in particular, that clam shells have been taking forever to open when steamed. If you do make clam chowder, it's always good to soak the clams in cold water for about 30 minutes and then wash under cold water to make sure most of the sand is gone. Alternatively, after soaking the clams, you can steam the clams in a separate pan of water and then strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve lined with paper towels and use this for the shellfish stock base in the soup. It's rich with the taste of the sea.

Buon appetito!