Clam Chowder

I'm back to blogging after a wonderful and relaxing trip to Maui!

I should be posting about something summer-y but H and I had a craving for clam chowder the other day so despite the warm weather I decided to give it a try. Its a good thing even in summertime we get fog here in San Francisco. That way we were able to pretend we were eating soup on a cozy winter night even though the rest of the Bay Area is dying of heat.

This recipe is from the November 2003 issue of Gourmet Magazine (via Epicurious). I modified it a bit because I didn't feel like dealing with the hassle of fresh clams (I used canned) or leeks (I used shallots). OK, OK leeks are not a hassle...I was just being cheap and didn't want to buy them.

See my cooks notes at the bottom. After making it once I would do some things different the next time.



Makes about 4-6 servings

3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices (*Note- you can substitute with about 3 shallots, diced)
1 cup water
40 small (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (4 pounds) such as littlenecks, scrubbed well (*Note-I used two 6.5 oz cans of diced clams, drained & rinsed)
3 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
5 celery ribs, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
2 pounds russet (baking) potatoes (4 medium)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice or water
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1. Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well (if using shallots as a substitute skip this step).

2. Bring 1 cup fresh water to a boil in a 5-quart heavy pot, then add clams and cook over moderately high heat, covered, until clams are fully open, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl as they fully open. (Discard any clams that have not opened after 8 minutes.) Pour cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. Remove cooked clams from shells, discarding shells. Coarsely chop clams and transfer to a bowl, then coarsely chop raw oysters and transfer to another bowl. Pour reserved oyster liquor through sieve into bowl with clam cooking liquid. (If using canned clams you can skip this step)

3. Cook bacon in cleaned pot over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, about 6 minutes, then transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add butter to pot and when foam subsides, cook onion, leeks/shallots, celery, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. While vegetables are cooking, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add wine to softened vegetables and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add potatoes and bottled clam juice. (If potatoes aren't fully covered with liquid, add more clam juice or water.) Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Purée 2 cups soup in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add cream, salt, pepper, Old Bay, and cayenne and cook at a bare simmer, stirring, until soup is heated through (do not let boil). Add clams and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Serve topped with crumbled bacon.

COOKS NOTES:

1- As mentioned above you can use canned clams rather then fresh. I put in two 6.5oz cans but will add more next time. Maybe 1-2 more cans. The soup wasn't very clammy tasting.

2. I used 1 bottle of clam juice but will add 2 next time so I don't have to add water in step 4 when cooking potatoes. I wanted to have a bit more clam taste and didn't get that because I had to put in about 1 cup of water to cover potatoes.

3. The bacon topping is good but next time I will double the bacon and mix the cooked crumbles in with the soup to give it a deeper smoky flavor.

4. Recipe calls to puree 2 cups of the soup at the end but I did 4 cups because I wanted it more creamy then chunky. This turned out to be the perfect ratio. It was really creamy with just a few potato chunks mixed in.

All in all this was a yummy soup and tasted great leftover too.

I have lots of blog updates to come...a great menu for a Hawaiian themed party and the status on our worm farm! I know you cant wait!

Easy butternut squash soup

I found this recipe on Epicurious and adapted it a little. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

{before}

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Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1- pound butternut squash (I used 2 8oz packages of diced butternut squash from Trader Joes) 2 cans low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 onion (layers separated)
Nonfat sour cream (optional)
Chopped fresh chives (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place diced squash and onions in prepared dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with S&P. Toss well to combine. Bake until tender, about 35 minutes.
Scrape squash and onions into large bowl. Add broth and puree until smooth (use blender or immersion blender). Transfer puree to heavy large saucepan. Mix in cream and enough broth to thin to desired consistency. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream and chives, if desired.

{review}

Very good and easy

Cant say its husband approved yet because hes not home tonight to eat it.

{Serve with}

garlic bread

{Time}

35 to 45 min

Tortilla soup w/ mini quesidillas

I've made this tortilla soup a few times. I cant remember when the original recipe is from (maybe Gourmet??)

{image}
this is not actual image of soup but it looks pretty close.

Tortilla Strips

8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Kosher salt

Soup

2 chicken breasts (skin removed and well trimmed of excess fat)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 very large white onion (about 1 pound), trimmed of root end, quartered, and peeled
4 medium cloves garlic , peeled
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
Kosher salt
2 medium tomatoes , cored and quartered
1/2 medium jalapeño chile (seeds removed)
1 chipotle chile en adobo , plus up to 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Garnishes

1 lime , cut into wedges
1Hass avocado , diced fine
8 ounces cotija cheese , crumbled, or Monterey Jack cheese, diced fine
Mexican crema or sour cream

1.FOR THE TORTILLA STRIPS:Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread tortilla strips on rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil and toss until evenly coated. Bake until strips are deep golden brown and crisped, about 14 minutes, rotating pan and shaking strips (to redistribute) halfway through baking time. Season strips lightly with salt; transfer to plate lined with several layers paper towels.

2. FOR THE SOUP:While tortilla strips bake, bring chicken, broth, 2 onion quarters, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil over medium-high heat in large saucepan; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large plate. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer; discard solids in strainer. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.

3. Puree tomatoes, 2 remaining onion quarters, 2 remaining garlic cloves, jalapeño, chipotle chile, and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce in food processor until smooth. Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering; add tomato/onion puree and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has darkened in color, about 10 minutes. Stir strained broth into tomato mixture, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer to blend flavors, about 15 minutes. Taste soup; if desired, add up to 2 teaspoons additional adobo sauce. Add shredded chicken and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. To serve, place portions of tortilla strips in bottom of individual bowls and ladle soup into bowls; pass garnishes separately.

{Review}

This is a great soup but a little time consuming (although still easy)

Makes enough for leftovers

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Quesadillas (make them mini by using small corn tortillas)

{Time}

1 hour but its pretty easy