First Look: Chowderland
First Look: Chowderland
First Look: Chowderland
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Chowderland
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Chowderland
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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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
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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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
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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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
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.
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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
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
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