Clam Chowder

Mmmmmmmm. The only thing that could be better about this is if I lived somewhere that had easy access to FRESH seafood.

Looking for something a little different? Clam Chowder can be homey and inviting if you aren't too intimidated. This recipe uses canned clams, I don't have good access to fresh ones, AND let's be honest, would I have the patience to use fresh? Probably not.

Ingredients
5-10 strips of bacon cut into chunks
4 6.5 oz cans of clams
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 c butter
1 c flour
2 c heavy cream
2 bottles clam juice
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper

In a large pot cook your bacon until crisp. Remove. In the bacon grease saute your vegetables until slightly softened. Remove from pot. Add in butter, melt, and then add in the flour. You're going to create a roux here, so make sure you whisk together and there are no lumps or questionable bits. Keep stirring fairly constantly until the roux as a light peanut butter color and smells nutty and delicious. Add back in your veg, and then add in the clam juice, as well as the clam juice from the canned clams. Add in the cream and bring back up to a simmer but do NOT BOIL. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add in the clams and cook for just a few minutes until they are done. Be careful, they get tough quick.


Bacon

Onion and Garlic

Celery

Clams

Add the clam juice and stock.

Delish.

Chicken with Peppers

olive oil
4-6 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless, cut into fingers
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, one chopped, one sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
5 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped (with all juices)
2 c chicken stock
8 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 Tbsp fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

In a heavy bottomed pot heat olive oil. Brown chicken - cook almost all of the way through. Remove and set aside. Saute onion in chicken drippings. Once the bottom of the pan has given up all the browned bits, add in garlic and chopped bell pepper. Cook for about a minute then add in the spices. Return your chicken to the pan and cover with stock. Simmer, covered for about twenty minutes. A few minutes before it's done add the sliced mushrooms and sliced bell pepper. Garnish with parsley. Serve over rice.




Brown the chicken.

Onions in to sweat and pick up the browned bits.

Yummy yummy

Add the peppers

Saute.

Add back in the chicken and spices.

Add the tomatoes.

And the stock.

Add the rest of the peppers and the mushrooms.


Serve with rice.

Gumbo

Is there anything better than a big steamy warm bowl of gumbo? Probably not much. Gumbo is DEFINITELY a comfort food for me. It's spicy and steamy and rich with all sorts of flavors. I like mine to have seafood, but you can make it strictly with chicken.

Ingredients
1/4 c vegetable oil - use as little as possible here
salt and pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into about 1 in pieces
1 lb italian sausage, sliced
1/2-1 c flour
4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
10 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 bell peppers, deseeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 c Worcestershire sauce (I like a bit more)
2 c italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 c beef broth (OR one box of stock then refilled with water)
1 can crushed tomatoes, with juice
4 green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 lb frozen shrimp, no tails deveined

In a heavy bottomed stock pot heat vegetable oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and then brown in hot oil. Be careful, it will splatter. Work in batches so it browns nicely. Once the chicken is all done, brown the sausage in batches. Remove all meat from the pot and add the butter. You want equal parts flour and fat, so add as much butter as you think you'll need to be about 1/2 c. Then add in the flour. Whisk flour and fats together well, you're creating a roux here so it needs to be smooth. We're looking for a fairly dark roux, but don't be worried if you can't quite get dark enough, we've got enough spices going on it will help hide that huge punch of flavor the roux will give. Get it AT LEAST peanut butter colored. Darker is better though. Scoop the roux out of the pot and set aside. Add in a bit more butter, and saute your vegetables until starting to get fragrant and tender. Add Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Cook about ten minutes then add your stock. Add back in the chicken and sausage, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 40 minutes. Add in tomatoes and their juice, as well as the frozen shrimp. Continue to simmer until the shrimp have turned pink and cooked through. Serve with green onions, some finely chopped parsley, and a scoop of rice.




Saute the chicken.

Veg.


Simmer simmer simmer.

Serve with a scoop of rice.

Mushroom Potato Stew

It's officially winter. I'm not very happy about it. I don't really enjoy the cold, or cold weather sports, or snow, or sleet, or driving with idiots that aren't cautious. You know what I do enjoy? Stews and soups. You know what else I enjoy? Making dinner primarily out of my pantry.

This recipe is brought to you by Italian Two Easy, Simple Recipes from the London River Cafe by Rose Gran and Ruth Rogers. There are some real winners in that book. There are also some... questionable recipes. Zucchini Squid Spaghetti anyone? It's a book filled with fairly simple foods, and a lot of very easy pairings. Check it out if you like paired down Italian foods. I have changed the recipe a bit to suit my needs, so you'll be getting my version of it.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1/4 c Orzo pasta
16 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced or coarsely chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp sage, chopped (can use 1/2 tsp dried)
4 c beef broth
1 Bay leaf
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes, with juice

Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the bottom of your pot heat your olive oil. Saute onion, half the garlic, and herbs and cook until soft. Add the potatoes and saute until they begin to brown slightly. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Simmer until vegetables are softened. While veg is cooking in another pan saute your mushrooms with the remaining garlic, you'd like them to have some color, so don't crowd them. Once your mushrooms are browned and your veg has softened go ahead and add the mushrooms and orzo to the pot. Stir together. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.








Onion, parsley, garlic.

Add the potatoes and spices.

Tomatoes

Stock

Saute the mushrooms