Alright folks...cold weather, talk of fish, corn, and potatoes leads one to consider chowder.
I am a big fan of chowders. How is chowder different from stew or soup? I am glad you asked.
Soup is traditionally thinner in constancy and can often have no bits or goodies within the liquid of love...but can be thicker and chuck full of stuff.
Stew is traditionally thicker than soup and is always full of bits and bobs of yumminess...though the actual percentage can vary.
Chowder is traditionally thicker than stew and is always full of good tasty stuff...again the percentage can vary.
So that clears up that, right? No?
Hmmm...broth/stock is thin and most often clear, soup is basically broth...oh wait are we clear on the difference between broth and stock? No? Ok.
Stock is a base product made from pieces and parts, be these veg or meat related. It can be served as is but most often stock is a component rather than a service item.
Broth is a finished product that is quite often strained, filtered, or otherwise had all the stuff taken out.
Now stock can be served directed though this is most often considered rustic or low country service.
Broth can be used as a part of a larger dish, we find this on more elegant and refined applications where the flavors and appearance is carefully regulated, haute cuisine or fine dining most often.
Ok, moving on...
Broth is most often clear and balance without any items within.
Soup is basically broth/stock that has bits within the body of the whole.
Stew is basically stock with lots of stuff within, some would say a 50/50 balance is a starting point.
Chowder is basically a stew with lots of stuff and a thickener that adds body to the stock.
The thickener is where regional aspects and considerations take over.
Some add stale bread, some add cream/milk, some add roux...what's that you do not know what roux is? Ok.
Roux means to thicken. It is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight. The fat is most often butter but can be clarified butter (slowly cook butter in a pot and when it breaks the solids and liquid will separate, use the liquid and it has a much higher flash point and thus resists burning and scorching)...lol you thought I was going to divert again
, bacon fat, lard, veg oil, olive oil, etc. If the fat has a low flash point or burns easily then you must go sloooooow. In large wide pan heat the fat and add (slowly) an equal amount of flour, stirring constantly (this means the whole time and do not walk away). It will quickly thicken too much, keep going. It will release the hold and thin out, add a bit more fat if need be to loosen it up. Depending on the cuisine will define how long you cook the roux. Typically French style is gentle and blond, just cooking the flour through without any real color. Arcadian cooking calls for a chocolate brown which is a fine balance of not being burnt yet charring the flour.
Anyway, thickening the stew to create chowder.
Old bread crumbles, cream/milk, roux, and in today's world of eating healthy blended veg right from the stew pot will thicken it all nicely...heck I have a recipe from New England where a beef stew is thickened with ground ginger snaps.
Most people think of seafood when naming chowders but some seafood stews are not chowders and some chowders have no seafood.
Cioppino is a non thickened seafood stew...though if you thickened it it would be chowder.
Corn and or potato chowder need not have any seafood.
It is the thickness and the texture of the liquid body that defines a chowder.
On to the recipe.
A basic starting point.
carrot, one large diced
celery, one stalk diced
onion, one large diced
garlic cloves, to taste but at least one toe/clove
1 quart of stock
salt and pepper to taste...pinch of each (taste often)
Add to a high wall pot, cover, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer.
Now what sort of chowder do you want to make?
What do you have on hand?
Fish is a go to chowder friend.
Thick body and firm flesh is preferred but if you have fall apart fish then here is what you do...whole fish, scale and skin, break it down, add bones/head/fins if you want extra flavor or be squeamish and discard (give to the cat!), cut into larger than bite size pieces, season, bake for 10-15mins at 350*, pull out, add half to the chowder. These are sacrificial and will fall apart...given up their fishy yum to the stew. Once the thickener has been added and the taste is where you want it, turn off the heat, and add the remaining fish pieces.
Full body fish can be added directly. But adding in stages ensures texture.
Clams? Yes. The stock should be fish or clam stock if available. What you say you do not have clam stock available? Ok.
In a blender add whatever stock you have (beef would be gross so chicken or veg), to the half way mark, add some clams (withhold the shells
), blend, add to pot.
Add clams chopped small early on and then again later in larger pieces near the end.
No seafood? Ok.
Corn and or potato chowder. Waxy potatoes are most often used because they hold up to the liquid, so red/white/butter/etc. I like to add baking potatoes because I want them to break down and thicken my stock...yes you can add potato buds or flakes to replicate this. Corn out of freezer bag is preferred in my kitchen to canned and fresh is even better right off the cob, reserve the corn milk as it will thicken the stock. Add a couple cups of either or both.
Ok the thickening.
Your stew is cooking nicely, flavored well, time to add the thickener.
Roux or any flour/starch thickener should be added off the heat, in a separate bowl add a little stock and the roux, mix, once all is incorporated then pour the slurry into the stew.
Bread pieces can go right in.
Milk/cream.
Avoid yogurt and sour cream as they can split and it will look nasty with little globs of milk fat floating about. But it can be done. Turn off the heat, remove from the element, and make a slurry with some stock as per the roux addition method above, and serve. Do not cook again. You can warm it up but mind the heat, gently.
Milk/creme, near the mid to later stages, a couple cups or less depending on how thick your current stew is.
And that is that.
Enjoy!
