Cooking recipes: chowder

Showing posts with label chowder. Show all posts

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Pheasant with Mushroom Wild Rice Chowder

Ive bumped into a lot of hunters who say that their favorite way to eat pheasant is with condensed cream of mushroom soup and serving it over rice. Im typically not a big fan of cooking anything in canned soup, but I can see how the flavors work. Heres something like that, but in chowder form-- without the can. I dont know why, but I have been on a soup kick lately, even in 90-100 degree weather. If youre weird like me, youll like this recipe. Its thick, creamy and delicious, and also very easy to make. Or, you can save this one for colder weather. It would be perfect for when youre stuck inside, and its 20 degrees and snowing outside... but lets not think about that now. Yikes!

I would offer you more summer grilling recipes, but Rick will have to take care of that for now. I currently do not have access to a grill and my apartment complex is weird about its rules. If everything goes as planned, Rick will finally be out here in a couple months. Hooray!

Huckleberry, bird dog in training at Pheasant Bonanza.

While making this recipe, Ive also discovered Land O Lakes Fat Free Half-and-Half. You can use regular half-and-half, but Im trying to watch what I eat, so I was happy to discover this product. Im sure there are a lot of studies about how some fat free products like this one might not be all that good for you, but getting a heart attack from a high fat, natural diet isnt exactly desirable neither. Everything in moderation, I say.

In Nebraska, pheasant season starts on the last Saturday in October this year. I, for one, am uberly excited. I like shooting birds and playing with dogs. So far, I have to say that I like pheasant hunting best. But, theres still plenty of new hunting experiences to be had! To our Nebraska readers, hope to see some of you out in the field sometime.

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pheasant breasts
- 3 slices of bacon, chopped
- 6 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
- 1 rib of celery, diced
- 3 small carrots, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- half an onion, diced
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter + 2 tbs.
- 1 package of mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 tsp. of coriander
- dash of paprika
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine
- 1 (4.3 oz) package of instant Rice-A-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice
- 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp. of parsley, chopped

Vegetables should be cut like so.

1. In a soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy and when most of the fat has been rendered out. Remove bacon and set aside.

2. Next, add diced celery, onion, carrot and garlic. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for 7 minutes, or until onions are cooked through and slightly browned. Stir frequently.

Remove vegetables and set aside.

3. If necessary, add a pat of butter or some more oil to the pot. Salt and pepper both sides of pheasant breasts or pieces and brown on all sides over medium-high heat. No need to cook through. Brown in batches and do not overcrowd the pot.

Remove pheasant and set aside.

4. Lower heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup of dry white wine. With a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen up all the yummy drippings.

Shred or cube pheasant into bite size pieces and return to pot, along with vegetables and bacon bits.

Then add 6 1/2 cups of chicken broth to the pot and all the instant rice from the box, BUT NOT the seasoning packet. Bring to a simmer.

5. Meanwhile, melt 2 tbs. of butter in a saute pan and cook mushrooms for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Set aside.

6. Then, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 1/2 cup of butter. Whisk in contents of Rice-A-Roni seasoning packet. Next, gradually add in 1/3 cup of all purpose flour, stirring constantly to form a roux. Cook for 3-4 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

Lower heat to low. Then, slowly stir in 2 1/2 cups of half-and-half. Whisk to get rid of any lumps. Heat through. Then remove from heat.

7. Stir cream mixture into the pot of broth, veggies and pheasant. Cook covered over medium-low heat until heated through and rice is tender, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the soup is too loose, heat uncovered until thickened. If its too thick, add more half-and-half. Add coriander and paprika.

At the end, stir in the cooked mushrooms and parsley.

Adjust seasonings, although there should be enough salt in the seasoning packet and broth already.

Serve with crusty bread.

Upland Hunting with Dogs

For those unfamiliar with upland hunting, heres sort of a taste of what happens. I took this video at a dog trial in Tekamah, Nebraska. At these dog trials, hunters come to compete with their dogs in timed events to see which team can locate and shoot more birds in an open grassland. Its a lot harder than it sounds. From what I remember, only 2 competitors that day completed their rounds with the required 3 birds.

As you can see in the video, the pointer (dog) zig-zags and hops through the grass to cover as much ground as he can in hopes of catching a birds scent, in this case, chukar. Once he does, he (or she) "goes on point" to let the hunter know that a bird is located nearby. Then the hunter comes, tries to flush the bird out of the grass and then shoots. Sometimes, the bird is smart enough to duck down low and escape through the grass without the hunter seeing. Other times, the hunter shoots and misses. And in some cases, the dog loses focus completely and doesnt locate any birds. Dog and hunter must perform well together to win the competition.

Depending on breed and training, different kinds of dogs are bred for pointing, flushing and/or retrieving. Pointers, like the dog in the video, arent natural retrievers, but some can be trained to do it. Oftentimes, a hunter will bring a pointer and a retriever such a labrador to work as a team.

Ive always found it so neat and fun to watch hunting dogs work. And when youre hunting with a few people and everyone brings his or her dog, they all run and zig-zag around you like crazy and its an absolute ball!

The dogs name in the video is "Fats." Hah!

(If you steal my picture to the left, Im going to kick your butt. Just saying.)

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

SANDRA’S COMFORTING NEW ENGLAND STYLE TRI SEAFOOD CHOWDER

A deep flavored, luxurious textured chowder

with generous chunks of white king salmon,

lobster tail chunks, and shrimp adorned with only

a few simple ingredients

so the seafood takes center stage...

Servings: (6 to 8)

Prep: 10 Mins.

Cook/Stand: 40 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

4 ozs. thick, center-cut hickory smoked bacon, cut into 1” slices

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 white onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4” thick slices

2 carrots, cut into 1/4” thick slices
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1 dried bay leaf

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1.5 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed (unpeeled) and sliced into 3/4” cubes

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup quality white wine

¾ lb. boneless, skinless white king salmon cut into 1” chunks (or halibut)

¾ lb. cooked shrimp

¾ lb. cooked lobster tail chunks, thawed (from Costco)

2 cups heavy cream

Freshly ground sea salt

Ground gray pepper

Garnish

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

--Warm, crusty French bread

METHOD

Fry bacon in dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown and crispy.

Remove cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate using a slotted spoon,

and set aside.

Retain 2 tablespoons of drippings in pot and add the butter, onions, celery, carrots, old bay seasoning, and bay leaves; sauté until onions are translucent.

Add flour, and garlic, then sauté for 1 minute.

Add the potatoes, broth, and white wine to cover vegetables

(add water if more liquid is needed to do so).

Bring to a boil, scrape bits off of bottom of pot,

then cover and boil for 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low,

then gently fold in white king salmon chunks,

and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Gently fold in lobster tail chunks, shrimp,

and reserved bacon,

(being careful not to break up white king salmon chunks),

then cook on low for 3 minutes.

Remove pot from heat, add heavy cream and allow chowder to sit,

covered, for 5 minutes to ensure

that the fish continues to cook

(without overcooking the fish or other seafood).

Taste for seasonings; adding salt and pepper to your desired level.

Toss bay leaf.

Serve chowder in individual bowls, topped with fresh parsley,

along with warm, crusty French bread

for sopping up the delicious broth. ~ Enjoy!

Thursday, April 3, 2014

New England Clam Chowder and To Shell or Not to Shell

New England clam chowder has been a popular food wish over the years, and I finally got around to filming it last January. The problem was I filmed it as an assignment for About.com, which means I have no control over when it airs. Sometimes it only takes a few days, and sometimes, like in this case, it takes many months.

Anyway, thanks for your patience, which I hope youll feel has been rewarded. This is my take on a fairly traditional New England clam chowder, which is probably lighter in texture than you are used to.

My contacts deep inside the authentic clam chowder underground (ACCU) dont agree on much, but most do say "real" clam chowder is nothing like that thick, gray pudding served on Friday at your friendly neighborhood restaurant chain. Ive also had "classic" chowders that were very thin, almost watery. I think this is a happy medium.

Above and beyond the recipe, Id love to open up a discussion on whether this soup should be served with the shells or not. When I posted the written recipe back in January, a friend of mine, Tamar (who publishes the always entertaining blog, Starving Off the Land), left this comment…

"Okay, John, I think its high time we had the shells-in-food debate. Your recipe looks fabulous, of course, as all your recipes do (dont get me started on the Boston cream pie), but Ive always had a problem with shells in my food. Its hard, when youre sitting at the dinner table, to get the shellfish out when the shells are hot and covered with soup, or Bouillabaisse, or marinara sauce, and still be elegant and refined. (And you know how concerned I am with elegance and refinement.)

You seem to have a sophisticated, food-oriented readership. Perhaps you should ask them to weigh in. This is a debate whose time has come."

So, what do you think? Im a firm believer in serving the soup with the shells, but I shall save my official argument for the comments section. I hope you enjoy the soup and the debate!

Note: Since this video is hosted on About.com, when you click the player, you will be taken off the blog to the video page. For the ingredients, click here to see the original post.

Clams Photo (c) starvingofftheland.com