chowder fist algorithm with a discussion of salt

Chowder is deeply satisfying and dead easy. Here's my algorithm:

Chowder is big chunks of POTATO and OTHER THINGS in a broth built of FAT, ONION, WATER and CREAM.

• POTATO is any somewhat starchy variety because you want it to fall apart a bit and thicken the soup. I like Russet and Yukon Gold.
• OTHER THINGS can be any or all of seafood or flaky white fish, corn, bacon.
• FAT is butter, bacon drippings or, hell, even coconut oil.
• ONION is a yellow or white variety and not too sweet. Could also be French shallots in a stretch.
• WATER is, well, water of course, but if you have a bottle of clam juice and are making a fish/seafood chowder, throw that in too.
• CREAM is heavy or whipping cream (otherwise it will curdle) with the addition, if you are making corn chowder, of some "corn-cream" made by grating some of the ears of corn.

Here's how I make about 4-6 servings (about 1 pound of chowder per serving which, I assure you, is not too much).  Measurements are mostly in terms of the volume of my clenched fist (about a cup). Making this is very relaxing (despite the clenching).

• 1-2 thumbs fat
• 1 f (ie. one fist) chopped coarsely onion
• 3 f potatoes peeled and cut in wedges
• 2 f of the other thing(s)
• 1 f heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Put a large, heavy bottomed pot on medium heat. If bacon is one of your other things, add to pot and cook slowly to render out the fat. (Put the bacon bits aside to add back at the end.) Sweat the onion in the fat. Add the potatoes and water to just cover.  Bring to a boil and simmer until spuds are almost tender. Add other things and cook until other things are falling apart (if white fish) or about 10 minutes.  Add cream and season with salt and (generously with) pepper (see below).  Turn off the heat and, with the lid on, let the chowder get comfortable for about 20 minutes.

The Salt

With a dish as simple as this, adequate seasoning is essential.  Salt is the not-so-secret secret ingredient. Now, if you look at the ingredients, you'll notice that, with the exception of bacon and maybe canned clams and the butter, nothing is salted. So how much salt would I expect to add to this?  My rule of thumb (thanks Julia Child) is about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound of unsalted food.  A pint of water is a pound and two of my fists are about a pint (two cups).  There are six fists of ingredients in the list plus the water, which is going to be about another 4 fists.  10 fists is about 5 pints so I would expect to need at least 5 x 1/2 tsp of salt, which is just shy of 1 tablespoon.

If that scares you, measure out your tablespoon into a little bowl and add it a 1/2 tsp at a time. Stir well between additions and keep tasting until you find yourself thinking, "Dear Lord, that is delicious.  I must eat an entire bowl immediately!" My guess is there won't be any salt left in your bowl.  In fact, you may have even gone beyond.

creamy macaroni and cheese

Quite a few years ago I published a brutal recipe for mac and cheese, which sustained us for many years. This week I am under doctor's orders to eat nothing but soft food and nothing acid (don't ask). So I decided to fire up a super-soft mac and cheese.

While a one-pound (dry weight) boxful of macaroni is boiling in the pot, make a roux by cooking a few tbsp of flour in a few tbsp of butter until it just starts to change color. Add milk slowly, whisking to keep the roux from forming clumps. Then add about a pound (maybe less) of grated cheese. The milk-to-cheese ratio sets the texture of the dish; use your judgement. And you can use any cheeses you like here; I sometimes even use this recipe to clear the fridge of remainders of cheeses (as I did today). Heat the roux-milk-cheese sauce and add in the macaroni, preferably slightly before the pasta is truly done, with lots of pepper and salt to taste. Either eat it immediately (as I did today), or else top it with more cheese (and maybe breadcrumbs?) and put it in a 400 F (200 C) oven to finish the top.

Interesting fact though: When you bake it, it becomes far less creamy! I think it's probably because the macaroni absorbs some of the milk. So if you want it super-creamy, either don't bake it, or else go with way more milk than you think is sensible.

pasta sauce from fresh tomatoes

It being end of summer and all, and me being over-confident in my no-recipe kitchen skills, I did the following today: I softened up two chopped onions and a bit of red pepper (because it was there) in a stick of butter. I then filled the pot with halved tomatoes (maybe 15 tomatoes) that the 'fuzz brought me from the Union Square Farmer's Market. I didn't peel the tomatoes first because (a) it isn't rocket science, and (b) I know I will be able to fish out the peels later. I added two cloves of garlic (smacked), 1 tbsp of red-wine vinegar, some fresh basil, some sprigs of fresh thyme, and a lot of salt and pepper (and a bit of that Japanese hot spice I have for ramen).

I started this all cooking. The tomatoes immediately released a lot of water and their skins, which I fished out (easily). I then executed the ultimate total-neglect move: I put the pot, uncovered, into a 275 F (135 C) oven and waited, stirring once an hour.

After 3 hours I pulled it out, pulled out the thyme sprigs, mashed the rest (with a potato masher) and then put it on the stovetop to reduce it further. That is, it wasn't thick enough (for my taste). Next time I'll do it at 300, not 275, with the hope that it will come out thicker. But it tastes great!

Recipes on the internet say you should peel and then seed the tomatoes before starting. I'm not sure why.

cauliflower purée

This side dish is for roast chicken or braised short rib or anything else out of the oven: Chop a head of cauliflower and steam it until soft (about 20 minutes). Add it to the blender with a (very) big hunk of butter and lots of salt and pepper. Blend to smooth; if you have trouble, adjust texture with cream, butter or water. Serve by making it a base layer on each plate, with the meat and vegetables on top. Cauliflower has a truffle-like thing going on that makes any meal seem fancier.

tomato sauce for pasta

I got this recipe from Kate Hamerton (who modified it from something in The Times): Put one stick of butter, one large can of whole tomatoes, and one onion,
quartered, into a saucepan with salt to taste. Simmer for one hour, mashing the tomatoes as little or as much as you like. Remove onions at the end. Crazy!

steamed mussels in white wine

This one is in high rotation Chez Hogg: Burn some chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a few tbsb of butter. Add 8-ish ounces of white wine, bring to a boil. Add 2lb of ice-cold, rinsed mussels. Boil/steam until all the mussels are open and plump (and give them a few more minutes after that); should take less than 15 min.

Partition mussels into shallow bowls, and then finish the soup with (lots of) salt, pepper, parsley, and (optionally) cream. Pour soup over mussels in the shallow bowls. Top with a bit more parsley and finely chopped fresh onion or shallot.

Serves four with french fries or salad or eight as a first course for something. Can be expanded arbitrarily (as we learned on Christmas Eve this year). Also consider adding curry to the soup, or harissa.

tarte tatin

Thanks to Sandrine for taking the photos.

caramelizing onions overnight

At Dstn's place, we put about 2 lb of sliced onions, 1/4 lb butter, and 1 tsp salt into an oven-proof pot. We heated it up on the stove enough to melt the butter, soften the onions a tiny bit, and make it possible to mix it all up. We then put it, covered, into a 200 F (90 C) oven for 10 hours. Bingo, caramelized onions! They went great with a Dutch cheese selected by the 'fuzz.

corned beef hash

sweet popcorn

After V asked for popcorn for dessert, I had to improvise. This worked well—not too sweet but definitely dessert: Heat an oil-butter mixture (I used a generous tbsp of each) in a saucepan over medium heat until a few test kernels of popcorn start to pop. Then pour in about 4 tbsp of unpopped popcorn kernels, about 2 tbsp of sugar, and a few shakes of salt. Agitate while the popcorn pops. Enjoy! (Caution: Contents may be hot.)