First Look: Chowderland

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AVAILABLE MAY 2015

Edited by Margaret Sutherland and Sarah Guare


Art direction by Jessica Armstrong
Cover and interior design by Jackie Lay
Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications
Illustrations and hand lettering throughout by Jackie Lay
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Food styling by Catrine Kelty
2015 by Brooke Dojny
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Chowderland

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24

Chowderland

4 ounces bacon, cut into


1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons butter, plus
more if needed
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup bottled clam juice or
seafood broth (see Notes)
2 cups water
1 pound red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled and diced
(about 3 cups)
3 slender young carrots,
thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more
if needed
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound haddock or other
mild flaky fish fillets,
cut into 4-inch chunks
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
(see Notes)
1/2 cup snipped chives or thinly
sliced scallions
2 tablespoons coarsely
chopped dill
2 tablespoons coarsely
chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons coarsely
chopped tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper

This lovely, delicate fish chowder is based


on one from The Four Season Farm Gardeners
Cookbook by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot
Coleman. It uses not only springs first tender
carrots and peas (if you cant find fresh peas in
pods, frozen are fine) but also copious amounts
of fresh green herbs, chopped coarsely so they
show off their beauty. Serve with a Bibb lettuce salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette,
a basket of Red PepperScallion Pita Toasts
(page 91), and Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler
(page 124) to finish.
4 SERVINGS

1. Cook the bacon in a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven


over medium-low heat until crisp and the fat is rendered, 10 to
15 minutes. Remove the cooked bits with a slotted spoon, drain
on paper towels, and reserve. You should have 2 tablespoons
of fat in the pot; if there is too much, pour some off, or if there
is too little, make up the difference with additional butter.
2. Add the butter to the pot and cook the onion over medium
heat until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the clam
juice, water, potatoes, carrots, and salt, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until the
potatoes and carrots are almost tender, about 12 minutes.
3. Add the cream and fish, bring to a simmer over medium

heat, and cook until the fish is opaque, about 5 minutes. The
fish will break apart as it cooks.
The Chowder Pot

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58

Chowderland

This classic Portuguese brew made with kale, potatoes, onions, and
smoked meat is usually called a soup (it means green broth in
Portuguese), but its actually so akin to a chowder that Ive gone ahead
and included it in this chapter. If you can find linguica the garlicky,
peppery Portuguese sausage its a good choice because its flavors
spice up the stew beautifully, but any well-seasoned cooked sausage
such as kielbasa will do. Orange, Radish, and Basil Salad (page 101)
complements nicely.
4 SERVINGS

3 tablespoons olive oil


6 ounces linguica, thinly
sliced (about 11/2 cups)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 (32-ounce) carton shelfstable chicken broth
2 cups water, plus more
if needed
11/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, halved and thinly
sliced (about 41/2 cups)
6 ounces kale (any type),
thinly sliced crosswise
(about 5 cups)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the
sausage and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until
golden brown, about 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon
and reserve, leaving the drippings in the pot.
2. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until it begins
to soften and brown, about 7 minutes. Add the broth, water,
and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and
cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Add the kale and reserved sausage and return to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the potatoes
are very tender and beginning to fall apart, about 15 minutes.
Thin with a bit more water if needed and season with pepper
to taste; it should not need salt because the sausage is quite
salty. This chowder does not need aging; serve immediately
or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

4. If reheating, warm over low heat. Ladle into bowls and serve.
The Chowder Pot

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68

Chowderland

5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, plus more
if needed
2 (11/2-pound) live lobsters,
rinsed (see Note)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned, cut in half
lengthwise, and thinly
sliced (white and pale green
parts only)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup dry white wine
1 (141/2-ounce) can diced
tomatoes with juice
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
24 mussels, scrubbed
11/2 pounds haddock or other
flaky white fish such as cod
or sea bass, cut into 4-inch
chunks
1 pound shelled and deveined
large shrimp
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

The original French bouillabaisse was created


in the port city of Marseilles and is concocted
of all manner of native fish and shellfish. This
is an American version, using lobsters and
mussels and our own local fish. Bouillabaisse
is traditionally served topped with a garlic
crote that is spread with rouille, a spicy red
pepper mayonnaise, but I saw no real reason
to go to the trouble of making a homemade
mayo, especially now that we have ready access
to sriracha, a Southeast Asiastyle sauce, and
smoked paprika.
Complete this special meal with Baby
Kale Salad with Pine Nuts (page 108) and
Bittersweet Chocolate-Pecan Tart (page 111).
6 SERVINGS

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large soup pot and add the
salt. Add the lobsters, cover, and return to a boil. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the lobsters are bright red
and fully cooked, 14 to 17 minutes. (Hard-shell lobsters will
take the longer cooking time.) Use tongs to remove the lobsters to a bowl, leaving the cooking liquid in the pot.
Splendid Seafood Stews and a Bisque

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92

Chowderland

Baking these focaccia in cake pans makes for an evenly shaped loaf, and
the heat of the pan turns the sides of the bread crusty and golden. As a
shortcut, you can buy pizza dough and add the onion and rosemary topping. Serve the flatbread in wedges with any chowder.
M A K E S 2 L O AV E S

DOUGH

1 cup warm water


(105115F/4045C)
1 package active dry yeast
(21/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt,
plus about 1 teaspoon additional salt for sprinkling
23/4 cups all-purpose flour,
plus additional tablespoons
as needed
FINI SHING A ND TOP P ING

2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, very
thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons coarsely
chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. For the dough, pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl
or the bowl of a standing mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the
water, add the sugar, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir the oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Stir in the flour
until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured board and
knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, or knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook, about 5
minutes. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of flour if the dough
is too sticky. You want a soft but workable dough. Place in
a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a
warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 11/2 hours.
3. Use about 1 tablespoon of the Finishing and Topping oil to

grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Punch down the dough,
divide into two balls, and transfer to the prepared pans. Cover
loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Pat the
dough evenly into the pans and let rest, loosely covered, until
slightly puffy, at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 450F/230C.


5. Make dimples in the surface of the dough with your

fingertips and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.


Accompanying Breads

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Chowderland

I love the combination of summer fruits and almonds. When I happened across a Jacques Pepin recipe calling for a unique ground almond
layer for a free-form tart, I worked out this adaptation thereof. Plums
(any type) are delicious and beautiful here, but you can use almost any
combination of other summer fruits, including berries, sliced peaches,
nectarines, or apricots.
68 SERVINGS

PA S T RY

11/2 cups all-purpose flour


1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted
butter, cut into about 12
pieces
46 tablespoons ice water
FIL L ING

1/3 cup sliced almonds, plus


2 tablespoons for the
topping
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
1 pound plums (any type),
halved, pitted, and cut into
1/2-inch-thick slices (about
3 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg beaten with 2
teaspoons water
Vanilla ice cream or lightly
sweetened whipped
cream, for serving

1. For the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the
butter is about the size of peas. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons
of the ice water and pulse, stopping when the dough begins to
clump together. If the mixture is too dry to press into a dough
with your fingers, sprinkle on the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons water and pulse a few more times. Turn the dough
out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, gather into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling out.
2. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a
12-inch circle. Slide onto a rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet. (If not finishing the galette immediately, cover the
dough loosely and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.)
3. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
4. For the filling, combine the 1/3 cup almonds, the 1/4 cup

sugar, and the flour in a food processor and process until the
almonds are ground fine. Spread the mixture evenly over the
dough round to within about 21/2 inches of the edge.

5. Toss the plums with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the
lemon juice, arrange over the almond mixture, and dot with
the butter. Fold the edges of the dough up over the plums,
pleating as necessary to create a rough 2-inch border.
The Perfect Finish

117

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