Reader of The Orkney News, Benjamin from Salem Massachusetts USA so enjoyed our recipe for Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup that he has shared one of favourite recipes from his home: New England Chowder.
Ingredients:
- Celery
- Leeks
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Sea Salt
- Butter
- Cream
- Fish or Seafood stock
- potatoes (I prefer small red potatoes)
- Kielbasa
- Seafood!
Whatever seafood suits your fancy. Clam Chowder (using chopped clams, canned is fine) is the most popular. My favourite is a good fish chowder using haddock, hake, or cod. But I’ve made excellent crab chowders, and of course clam chowders. You can also just do a “seafood” chowder and put all sorts of seafood odds and ends in it. Recipe works the same for whatever you’d like.
1) Dice kielbasa into small pieces. Slice Celery, leeks, and garlic. Cut potatoes into pieces that will fit nicely on a spoon.
2) In a large pot add butter over medium heat and sauté celery, kielbasa, leeks, and garlic. After a little while add fresh thyme, sea salt, and black pepper
3) add potatoes. Make sure potatoes touch the bottom of the pot and don’t stir so they brown a little on one side, then stir and try and get them a little browned but not much
4) add stock, bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
5) add cream (about a cup or 2 depending on how much you are making and how creamy you want it). Stir, bring heat back up.
6) Once its simmering hot again, add seafood and cover (DO NOT STIR!). Simmer for 5 min. Don’t open the cover.Turn off heat and let sit for an hour at least. Bring heat back up right before you eat it.
Serve with a good crusty bread. Wash down with a good hard cider
You can also use smoked meats in place of the kielbasa or smoked fish for the seafood which adds a nice smoky flavour to the chowder. Also some people like thicker chowders (I’m not one of them), but if you fancy a thicker chowder you can add some corn starch or flour while it’s boiling. If you choose to do this, you’ll also want to add more salt as the flour makes it a bit more bland.
I had to try it out.
The amount I made would serve 4. I made it in the slowcooker. I costed it out. I needed:
- 1 leek, 50p
- 3 sticks celery, 25p
- 2 pieces cod, £2
- 1 piece smoked haddock, £1.50
- 1/2 smoked sausage, 75p
- potatoes, 50p
- 300ml double cream, £1.19
- Total cost: £6.69
While it rested, I went out for a long walk. I can confirm that this soup is delicious. If any other reader’s have favourite recipes they would like us to try out and publish to share with others, please send them in to : news@theorkneynews.scot
