October 22 – October 28, 2023

Sunday:                     Smoked Salmon Dip, Midnight Bolognese with Rigatoni, Almond-Apple Cake

Monday:                   Leftover Bolognese, Lucali Salad

Tuesday:                   Cheddar Corn Chowder

Wednesday:            Broiled Lamb Blade Chops

Thursday:                 Hot-Dogs, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw (celebrating the World Series

Friday:                      Salade Nicoise

Saturday:                  Pizza Margharita

Chowder is as American as Apple Pie

The Oxford English Dictionary is confused about the origin of the word ‘chowder.’  It might be French and referring to the stove on which such a dish was cooked.  It might be Italian or Portuguese or Spanish and referring to a fish stew popular in those places.  It might be a word twisted out of all recognition from Cornwall or Devon, though this idea doesn’t come from the OED but, I suppose, from Cornwall and Devon. 

But in America today – which is what counts to home cooks like me – it’s pretty clear that any type of chowder, whether Manhattan or New England or other, should be considered as American as apple pie.  Apple pie was originally cooked in England and influenced by spices and techniques from France, the Netherlands and the Ottoman Empire.  You can’t get more American than that.

Where am I headed with this?  That question, by the way, is directed to me.  I often find myself in full blog mode, typing up a storm, without having any idea of where I’m going.  I don’t mean that I know sort of, but not exactly, where I’m going.  I mean, I’m lost in the middle of the Atlantic, deep in the trackless Sahara or floating through the vast interstellar space between our galaxy and the next one over.  I mean that I am totally lost.

I just took a look at the recipes from last week, and suddenly I’m okay.  The title and the first two paragraphs above were typed after this realization.  The third paragraph was typed first.  And if you think that you’re confused, just imagine how I feel.

Well, until two weeks ago, it had been unseasonably warm in Western Pennsylvania and so we had continued cooking outdoors on the grill and having  lots of salads and lighter foods.  But two weeks ago, the temperatures fell – though the weather was beautiful – and we finally eased into the autumn dishes that help comfort us when we rise in the dark and the days begin to constrict.  As I write this, it’s 6:00 p.m. and the backyard looks like one of Louise Nevelson’s wooden whatever-they-are, painted black.  (Look it up.)

We’re still excited about Jacques Pépin’s Quick and Simple, but turned to another old standby in the middle of last week and are happy that we did.  We discovered another ‘keeper’ lurking in the pages of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  I settled on this recipe because we had some bacon that needed to be cooked before it turned green, and the other ingredients were on hand.  And so, here is an excellent chowder to warm your bones on the chilly nights ahead. 

CHEDDAR CORN CHOWDER

(adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Timing:                                                  50 minutes

Ingredients:                  Serves 10 – 12 (we made half a recipe)

8 ounces bacon, chopped (here you might want to use the whole 8 ounces – the bacon is a garnish and who doesn’t like crisp bacon?)

6 cups, medium-diced, boiling potatoes (we just halved new potatoes – quartered the large ones – and left the skin on)

10 cups corn kernels (10 ears) or 3 pounds frozen corn (we used frozen – the farm stands are out of corn in Western PA)

6 cups chopped yellow onion (3 or 4 large onions)

½ pound sharp white cheddar cheese

12 cups chicken stock

2 cups half-and-half

¼ cup good olive oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Prep:

Measure out the ingredients.  Note:  you can put the flour, salt, pepper and turmeric in the same bowl.

Chop the onions.

If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cob and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes.

Chop the bacon – While you’re cooking the bacon, dice the potatoes.

Cook:

In a large stock pot over medium high, cook the bacon in the olive oil until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.   Dice the potatoes while the bacon cooks.

Reduce the heat to medium or a bit lower to avoid burning and cook the onions for 10 minutes – until translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, turmeric and cook for 3 minutes.

Now add the chicken stock and the potatoes and bring to a boil.

Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Add the corn to the soup and then the half-and-half and the cheddar.

Cook for 5 minutes – the cheese needs to be melted.

Correct seasonings.

Serve hot with the crisp bacon for a garnish.