The Rhode Less Traveled By - Rhode Island Clam Chowder

The scent of Autumn is in the air and that makes me happy.  I spent too many years in San Diego where there are no real seasons to speak of whatsoever.  After being deprived of seasons for so long I cannot help but wonder at the glorious splendor of changing leaves that I took for granted the first 28 years of my life.  What the heck was I thinking?   The dried fallen leaves provide a satisfying crunch when trodden upon. There is a crisp chill in the morning air that I find intoxicating, when accompanied by a good cup of coffee, while walking the dog.  Heaven.

When it comes to food....  Autumn always makes me hungry for soups, stews and chowders.  Yep, it's time to embrace some fine fall fodder.  One of my personal favorite flavors of fall is Clam Chowder.  Since Razor Clam season starts very shortly, it's the perfect Autumnal treat.  (Razor clams are another post, though)

Last year I shared my recipe for Pacific NW Style Clam Chowder, being similar to New England, but replacing the Bacon with Smoked Salmon.  It is technically my favorite style of Clam Chowder, but there is one other style that is a definite palate please-er.  No, it's not Manhattan style either...  Sadly, I do not find the combination clam and tomato to be of synergistic appeal to my taste buds.  Sorry, Clam-ato Juice.   I am speaking about the often overlooked, Rhode Island Style ....

Not many people seem to know about Rhode Island Style Clam Chowder, aside from those that actually live in Rhode Island.  Even I, having been exposed to it on several occasions, seem to forget about it in lieu of it's showier siblings, New England Style and Manhattan Style.  Maybe it's because of it's unassuming nature.  It's not flashy red and tomato laden like Manhattan Style, it's not loaded with cream and butter like New England Style.  It's sort of like "the clam chowder next door".  Humble and reserved...  Unpretentious and simple...  If it hadn't been for an email newsletter, I would have forgotten about it again, this year.

But lemme tell ya, it is unequivocally delicious.  It may be the least ostentatious of the three styles, but if you are a clam lover, then this is the Chowder for you.  There is no overpowering flavor of tomato, there is not an abundance of cream and butter to coat your tongue and prevent you from tasting the clams. Oh, no. Just clear brothy goodness, loaded with bits of clam, bacon and potato accentuated with caramelized onions.

True, it should be made with Quahogs, but they are not available on the West Coast, and I am not about to try and chop up a gigantic Geoduck (goey-duck), so I simply go with minced clams in a can (besides, I need the clam juice)  

Rhode Island Style Clam Chowder

3 slices of Bacon, cut into matchsticks
3 TB Unsalted Butter
1 Onion, diced
4 Celery stalks, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
4 cups Clam Juice (reserved from the canned clams, plus two 8 oz bottles of Clam juice)
2 cups Vegetable Stock (or Chicken, or Seafood)
1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1/2 lb Red Potatoes, diced
1 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1 Bay leaf
1 lb Clam meat, drained & chopped (if using canned clams, you will need five 6.5oz cans to achieve the correct "drained" weight)
Kosher Salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Freshly ground Black Pepper
Celery Leaves, chopped

Heat a stock pot over medium heat while cutting the Bacon into matchsticks.

Add Bacon to the hot pot and saute until crispy.

Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the Butter and allow it to melt and mingle with the Bacon Fat in the stock pot.

Add the diced Onion and allow it to sweat until it begins to turn brown in color. (about 15 minutes)

Once the Onion has begun to caramelize, add the Celery, cooking an additional 5 minutes.

Add the Garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.

Drain the canned clams and set them aside, saving the juice (you will probably need a couple of 8oz bottles of Clam Juice as well) then add the Clam Juice along with the Vegetable Stock, Potatoes, Thyme and Bay leaf to the stock pot.

Bring to a boil,

then cover and reduce the heat, allowing the chowder to simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the flame, and remove the Bay leaf.

Add the Minced Clam meat and the Bacon, stirring and allowing them to heat through.

Stir in the chopped Celery leaves.

Season with Kosher Salt and  Black Pepper (I use 1/2 tsp, but I am a pepper freak)
Now you are ready to serve (with oyster crackers or Saltines, if you like)

Mmmmmmmmmm! Like I said, if you are a clam lover, then this is the Chowder for you.
 

Mangia!!
~~

Chowin' on Chowder - Pacific NW Style Clam Chowder

Evidently Autumn has arrived.  Gone are the 90 degree days, for the sun is hiding behind the rain clouds and I swear the temperature dropped into the 50's...  This all means one thing.  It's time for soup.   Not just any soup. It's time for chowin' down on some chowder.

So what exactly IS a chowder?  Well, the best I can come up with is the word calderia.... Which is Latin for "a place to warm things"  This is the root that spawned words like caldera, as in volcano, and the word "cauldron" (boil, boil, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble)   :)   In France, these handy soup cauldrons that hung from a hook over the hearth fire, were called "chaudiere".  Ah HA!  First connection... Now it get's good, cause there are a lot of fish soups/stews on the northern coast of France... So, let's hop the channel over to jolly olde England and you will find the old English word "jowter" meaning fish peddler.   Second connection... 

Now we all remember from our European history class, right?  Let's refresh.  You see, the English really loved to visit France; regularly, as a matter of fact, and usually with a fairly large army... Thus there was a lot of cross cultural interaction...  (I am assuming)  I am sure, at some point, a jowter was in Normandy and made his fish soup in a chaudiere and the rest is history...  Say it three times fast...

A jowter makes chowder in a chaudiere...  Evidently, the name stuck.

What traditionally makes chowder different from soup or stew is that the ingredients were originally layered with old biscuits or crackers, which were the thickening agent.  Granted, today most chowders are not made with layered ingredients of onions, lean pork, biscuits (sea biscuits or hardtack crackers) and fish covered in water and cooked until the bread breaks down and thickens the "chowder", most chowders simply contain flour and starch from the potatoes as thickeners ...  But though our method of preparation has changed over the years, the spirit of chowder's humble beginnings remains, as most chowders are served with copious quantities of crackers to be sprinkled on top or hidden underneath.

I am a "New England Style" person...  Not so big on the "Manhattan" version which made it's debut in the 1800's as the popularity of tomatoes increased.  But I get a little weird about tomatoes and seafood.  There is also Rhode Island Style, which is a clear broth style, similar to Delaware and Hatteras styles... Then there is the Minorcan style from Florida, which is a kicked up (datil chile laced) version of Manhattan.  Even though I am a big fan of New England style chowder which contains bacon, (awesome!) my favorite recipe is a Pacific NW affectation.  Bacon/salted pork sits on the sidelines, to be replaced by Butter and Smoked Salmon....   mmmmmm  Thus, you have the "Pacific NW Style" clam chowder.

Pacific NW Style Clam Chowder

3 TB Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup (2 oz) (56 g) Celery, fine chop
1 cup (3.5 oz) (100 g) Onion, fine chop
2 TB Shallot, minced
1 medium (9 oz) (255 g) New Potato, diced
3 TB AP Flour
a 6.5 oz (185 oz) can of Clams
2 oz (56 g) Smoked Silver Salmon, flaked
1 1/4 cup (10 oz) (295 ml) Whole Milk
1/4 cup (2 oz) (60 ml) Half and Half
2 TB Sour Cream
8 oz (235 ml) Clam Juice (in the bottle)
2 TB Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
Kosher Salt (If your smoked salmon is really salty, you won't need this)
Copious amounts of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Finely chopped Flat Leaf Parsley for serving
Crackers and Butter for serving.

In the bottom of a medium pot, melt the Butter.

When the foaming subsides, add the Celery, Onion, Shallot and Potatoes.... and sweat until the potatoes and celery are tender.

Sprinkle the vegetables with the Flour and cook until the flour smells slightly nutty. (about 5 minutes)

Drain the Clams and reserve the juice.

Add Clams, Smoked Salmon...

Then add both the bottled Clam Juice and the reserved Clam Juice.

Stir in the Milk too.

In a small bowl, whisk Half and Half with Sour Cream,

then add this to the pot as well.

Season with copious quantities of Black Pepper and simmer gently until slightly thickened. (about 15 minutes)

Place Crackers in the bottom of the serving bowls.

Ladle the chowder over the crackers (the crackers will further thicken the chowder) or serve with "Oyster Crackers" or Saltines on the side if you like your chowder a little more loose.

Hit it again with freshly ground black pepper...

Place a small pat of butter on top and sprinkle a small amount of chopped Flat Leaf Parsley.

Kick back and watch the rain fall while exuberantly consuming your bowl of liquid warmth.

Mangia!!
~~

Spanish Fare with Italian Flair - Paella Coast to Coast

Cooking Coast to Coast part 2

The Dish today was originally Paella a la Valenciana.

This was an interesting recipe for me in many ways. My approach kept changing. In the beginning I was cooking not only for people who, for religious reasons, cannot eat pork, but also for people who were allergic to seafood. (sigh) As a result, it became a very Chicken-centric dish…

Then as people canceled, I was suddenly able to add pork, (Yay!) but still no seafood (Aw!). With the pork ban lifted, I started hunting for Spanish Chorizo. This presented other issues.

Let's face it, San Diego is awesome for Mexican cooking ingredients; not so great for actual Spanish items though. In the end, I decided to just simply give up and cook what I know... Jamón Serrano became Speck; the Chorizo became Hot Italian Sausage; and the Chicken.... Well, it stayed chicken; and sans ANY seafood.

Then another person canceled and the seafood was back on... SO, with half the ocean in tow... I made a somewhat Italian-esque concoction, even though I DID finally find "Paella Rice" (although I have my doubts, since the bag doesn't actually say what kind of rice it is)

The best part about the Paella is the "socarrat" that forms on the bottom. This is similar to the Grossmutter that forms in the bottom of a fondue pot. Although in this case, instead of crispy caramelized cheese, it's crispy caramelized rice.... YUM!!!! I am SO looking forward to that.

AND I even found a Paella pan. Which was totally AWESOME!!

Because neither my cast iron nor copper skillets were big enough. Paella pans have fairly low sides; as the amount of paella you are making increases, the diameter of the pan increases. Mine has an aluminum core, which I guess is OK, but from what I have read, simple Carbon Steel is the preferred material.

Paella a la Valenciana (alla Italiano?)

Here is the recipe we used, with my changes in Parenthesis... As far as instructions, I have changed them according to what I did, replaced the ingredients... For the original ingredient list and instructions, check out Paella a la Valenciana

Servings: 6-8

6 cups of very strong chicken Stock (4 cups Chicken, 2 cups Vegetable Stock)
1/2 tsp of Saffron threads (Kashmiri not Spanish)
1/4 tsp of Smoked Spanish Paprika
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half

Heat the broth with the saffron, smoked Paprika and the whole onion.

Cover and simmer 15 – 20 minutes.

Remove the onion and strain the broth -- you need exactly 5-1/2 cups.


2 small chickens, about 2-1/2 lbs each (2 1/2 lbs of Chicken Thighs)
1/2 cup dry white wine (Soave – but would have preferred Pummelo or Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 cup olive oil (Sicilian Olive oil)
1/4 lb of cooking chorizo, in 1/4 inch slices (Hot Italian Sausage)
1/4 lb piece jamón serrano ham, diced (Speck – Smoked Prosciutto)
1 medium onion, chopped (1 Large Shallot)
4 scallions, chopped (1 Leek)
4 tbsp chopped garlic
2 roasted piquillo peppers (Roasted Red Bell pepper)
1 lb small or medium shrimp, shelled (1 lb Jumbo Shrimp, Cleaned & Peeled but with tail-on)
2 (Optional) Live lobsters, boiled, split and divided into tail sections and claws; discard or keep the head and small claws; or (Nope)
4 (Optional) Lobster tails, split lengthwise; (Nope)
8 (Optional) King crab claws; or (Nope)
8 jumbo shrimp, in their shells, preferably heads on; or (Nopity, Nopity, No)
2 North Atlantic Lobster tails, split Lengthwise.. (Yeppers)
3 cups Bomba or Calasparra rice or other short grain Spanish rice (Mine just said "Paella Rice")
5 tbsp chopped Italian Flat-Leaf parsley
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/4 lb fresh or frozen peas
18 clams and/or mussels, scrubbed (16 mussels, 8 clams)
Lemon wedges for garnish (Meyer Lemon Wedges)
Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley for garnish

OK, I sliced, diced and chopped everything this time, which I normally don't do, cause I usually kind of wing it a little... There was a lot of stuff on this one and everything happens very quick, I was glad I was fully prepared this time....

Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt.

Begin reheating the stock with the wine added to it.

In a metal Paella pan, with about a 15 inch base, heat the oil.

Add the chicken thighs and fry over high heat until golden; then remove to a warm platter.

Add the Italian sausage and speck to the pan and stir fry about 5 minutes.

Add the chopped Shallot, Leek, Garlic, and Roasted Red pepper and saute until the Shallot is wilted.

Add the Shrimp and the Lobster and saute about 3 minutes more, or until the shrimp and lobster barely turn pink (the lobster will cook more in the oven.) then remove the shrimp and lobster to the platter with the chicken.

Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it well with the oil.

Sprinkle in the 5 TB of chopped parsley and the crumbled bay leaves.

Stir in the hot chicken stock/Wine, peas and salt to taste, then bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat about 10 minutes.

Bury the shrimp and the chicken in the rice.
Add the clams and the mussels, pushing them into the rice, with the edge that will open facing up and place the lobster pieces on, cut side down, then bake at 325 F, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit on top of the stove, lightly covered with foil, for about 10 minutes.

To serve, decorate with lemon wedges and chopped parsley. Oh, and I threw a pre-cooked Crayfish (crawdad) on top, just for fun... A tribute to Jambalaya if you will (even though it isn't Italian)

I had to cook mine a little longer... 15 minutes longer to be exact.
I removed the mussels, clams, chicken and lobster and put the rice back in because it was still crunchy after the initial 20 minutes.... and even with the extra time, some of it was still a little crunchy, while other portions had become gummy. More like a badly made risotto than a paella. Which kind of makes me wonder about the rice I was using. The most disheartening thing though, was that I didn't any "socarrat" on the bottom of my pan... :(
I was SO looking forward to that. (sigh) Oh well.

Then again, it's a first try... so we shall see what happens when I try again. Oh yes, let there be NO doubt about that. I am gonna try it again. Sans seafood though, cause it gets a little spendy. But it WAS definitely still tasty even if the texture was questionable. Which only proves the point (Never fear the kitchen, even a "disaster" is more than likely still edible) Although I have discovered that, while I love mussels, I am not fond of mussels and saffron together... Clams, Yes... Scallops, Yes... Mussels, not so much...

Regardless of my somewhat mixed emotions over this dish, I had promised people food. So I boxed everything up.

And put it all in my Thermal Carrier for delivery. ;)


As of yet, I have only heard that it does not survive reheating very well. Mostly because of the seafood.


For many more Paella Permutations, check out what my bloggin' BakeSpace buddies all came up with. Inspiration is just a click away.

Just click a pictures below: (the blog links will take you to their most current posts)

Spryte from Spryte's Place in Pennsylvania


Michele from My Italian Grandmother in Jersey


Danielle from Cooking for my Peace of Mind in California (with Guest Blogger, Cathy in Minnesota)


Moni from Alaskan Dermish in the Kitchen in, well, Alaska of course


And Martha in upstate New York


Mangia!!
~~