NEW RSS feed! | Thu 09.25.08 |
Corn and Mussel Chowder |
First, sorry about the brief hiatus; I've moved into a new place in DC and it's taken some time to get the kitchen settled. It wasn't until after I had moved in that I realized I didn't have any kitchen tools -- I had been using my previous roommates' -- and I'd have to spring for a set of my own. Which is not a big deal, really. After something to chop with, I really think you only need a few other basic items. How did that take so long? Well, I'm indecisive. But now I've got myself a brand-new knife (a Wusthof!) and cutting board, the requisite spatula, tongs, ladle, grater and whisk, and am quite ready to make the most of the market located just on the next block.
While looking for a new place, my main criterion was that it be within walking distance to a grocery (well, and that the rent be low). So far, it's been working out really well. The market sells a lot of local, seasonal produce. For the past several weeks they've been stocked (stocked!) with sweet summer corn, and I for one have been doing my damndest to eat as much of it as I can. My preferred method is just to lightly boil the corn in salted water and eat it straight (useful, say, if you're without any kitchen tools), but once the kitchen was set up, I was really jonesing to make some chowder.
I have an issue with a lot of corn chowder in that usually the corn is cooked way too soft for my tastes. Yeah, you want the onion to almost dissolve into the soup, and the potatoes to be immodestly creamy, but the corn? In my opinion, it's the star of the show. More specifically, its fresh sweetness is the star. Just barely cooking the kernels allows that freshness to pop against the background of cream.
Another point to mention: for a chowder like this, any variety of boiling potato is vastly preferable to high-starch potatoes like Russets, which tend to fall apart into the soup. You want a potato that'll hold its shape even as it gets very tender. I used an ordinary white boiling potato, and after simmering them slowly for a good twenty minutes, they were still in nice cubes that held up when the pot was stirred, but that immediately dissolved in the mouth. Which is perfect. In my opinion, anyways.
As for the mussels, their flavor works very well with the fresh corn -- clean and not overpowering. When I added the mussels, though, it was such a quantity that they took over the entire pot! It began to look more like moules marinières than a corn chowder, so after they were cooked, I took about half of the mussels of the shell. Those less visually anal about their chowder can omit this step.
Corn and Mussel Chowder
4 strips bacon
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
4 small boiler potatoes
6 ears of corn
1 bay leaf
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch smoked paprika
1 handful parsley stems, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds fresh mussels
salt and pepper
Dice the bacon and crisp it up in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. In the meantime, dice the onion and potatoes and mince the garlic.
Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pot and sweat the onion in the fat. Add the potatoes and garlic once the onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and paprika. Turn up the heat to high, add the wine and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer.
While the potatoes cook, remove the corn kernels from the cob. Scrape the milk from the cobs into the pot, then add the cobs themselves into the pot.
Rinse the mussels, checking them and discarding any that are already open. When the potatoes are tender, add the cream and wait until the pot comes back to a simmer to add the corn, mussels and reserved bacon. Close the lid and cook until the mussels have opened, about five minutes.
4 strips bacon
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
4 small boiler potatoes
6 ears of corn
1 bay leaf
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch smoked paprika
1 handful parsley stems, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds fresh mussels
salt and pepper
Dice the bacon and crisp it up in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. In the meantime, dice the onion and potatoes and mince the garlic.
Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pot and sweat the onion in the fat. Add the potatoes and garlic once the onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and paprika. Turn up the heat to high, add the wine and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer.
While the potatoes cook, remove the corn kernels from the cob. Scrape the milk from the cobs into the pot, then add the cobs themselves into the pot.
Rinse the mussels, checking them and discarding any that are already open. When the potatoes are tender, add the cream and wait until the pot comes back to a simmer to add the corn, mussels and reserved bacon. Close the lid and cook until the mussels have opened, about five minutes.
