A Flexible Chowder
A great way to use up leftovers like chicken, salmon or vegetables that need to be used sooner-rather-than-later. The amount of fat, flour and liquid should remain about the same but all other ingredients are really flexible and amounts depend on what you have in your fridge/pantry. What needs to be used up? The recipe can easily be cut in half if you want to make a smaller amount, although it keeps well in the fridge for a several days.
- 1-2 rashers of bacon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons butter (could use all butter or all olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (peeled and chopped)
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 carrots (peeled - or not - and chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped, this is a great place to use celery leaves as well)
- 3-4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 165 grams corn (1 1/2c, optional)
- 215 grams potatoes (approx 1 large russet, peeled, or 2 medium-sized boiling potatoes)
- 250 grams chicken (taken off the bone and chopped, optional)
- 500 milliliters milk (2c, we used 1% but you can use any milk you like)
- 500 milliliters stock (2c, we used chicken but you could use vegetable, fish, clam nectar, etc)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- parsley (chopped, can sub cilantro, basil or dill)
- peppers (sweet and/or hot)
- green beans
- fennel bulb
- bits of broccoli or cauliflower
- canned clams
- raw oysters (shucked)
- leftover salmon (skin & bones removed)
In a medium to large sized pot over low heat, add the bacon and let it cook to render out some of the fat. If you're not using the bacon, just skip this step. When the bacon has cooked and left a little fond in the pan (see terminology in the notes section), add the butter and olive oil and scrape the bottom of the pan a bit with your spoon or spatula.
Add the onion and toss it in the melted fats. Let the onion cook over low-medium heat until it turns translucent.
To make start the roux (see terminology in the notes section): add the flour to the fats and cooked onion and toast it for a few minutes until it all looks golden.
Add the carrots and the celery and cook for a few minutes until they are softening.
Turn the heat up to medium and add a bit (half cup?) of the stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get both the fond and the roux off the bottomed and stirred into the stock. If your heat is high enough you should see thickening right away. When the bottom of the pot feels smooth when you scrape your spoon across it, pour in the rest of the stock and the milk.
Add the garlic, corn, chicken and potatoes. Bring the pot up to a simmer, cover the pot and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook for about 25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh herbs.
Terms to know:
chowder = a soup made with milk and potatoes and thickened with a roux
roux = fat+flour+liquid to thicken sauces, soups and stews
fond = yummy browned bits on the bottom of the pan
mirepoix = onions+carrots+celery
Refer back to previous videos:
make your own bacon
make your own bone broth
