I'm a Chowder-Head

And proud of it.  One of my all-time favorites is corn chowder.  I have many variations that I like, so it can be a little different each time.  The last batch was a pretty standard recipe, which is delicious and easy.  There is some prep, but if you enjoy cooking with real ingredients, you have to prep them.  We're all on the same page there, right?

This recipe came from another book in my extensive collection: Cook's Country 2009.  I have modified it a little from time to time, but I use this recipe because of the fact it has been tested by their kitchens and I like having a guide for measurements.

Here's what you do:

• 6 ears of fresh corn
• 2 cans canned corn
• 5 c. chicken broth
• 4 slices Canadian bacon (diced)
• 1 onion, chopped/diced
• 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup 1% milk 
• 4 scallions (green onion) sliced
• salt, pepper & cayenne to taste

Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs.  Set cobs aside. Puree canned corn in blender with 2 c. broth. 

Saute onion, Canadian bacon, corn kernels and salt/pepper in a little canola oil.  When onion begins to soften, add potatoes, corn puree, the rest of the broth, and the corn cobs.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes become tender. 

Discard the corn cobs and stir in the milk.  **Now, here, you can be a purist and use cream. Or, half & half, any form of milk you choose.** Taste and season with salt and pepper.  I really love polishing it off with some cayenne to keep it interesting.  

With this batch, I happened to have some crab meat in the fridge, so I sauteed some in a little butter to warm it and topped my soup with that.  I've also topped it in the past with shrimp.  Another wonderful addition is to roast, peel and chop some poblano peppers to mix into the soup.  Green chilis and jalapenos can liven things up as well. Of course, you can also use regular bacon,  or no bacon, but no bacon is just crazy talk.  Don't doubt me about the pureed canned corn. The test kitchens experimented with this, using fresh, frozen and canned corn with the goal of creating a nice, smooth and silky base to the soup.  Canned won out.  And, then of course, the fresh corn gives you all the fresh, crunchiness and sweetness that corn always brings to the party.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

 

Baby Got Knack

 A knack for cooking, that is!

My daughter is a sucker for a crab rangoon.  My issue with this little morsel, is that pretty much every restaurant on Earth uses "krab" with a K.  Here, in my little coastal state, we spell "crab" with a C, as it is so. Red-dyed surimi (Krab) is fish. Not crab of any sort. It's fake ass Krab.  So, due to my seething loathing for this stuff, I informed the wunderkind that I'd much rather make rangoons at home so I know she's getting the real deal.

We made our inaugural batch together yesterday and were quite pleased with our results.  Today, she decided she wanted to make more, but as a solo mission.  She used the cookbook she gave me last Christmas, The Woks of Life. After our first batch yesterday, the one change she decided on, and it was the right decision, was to increase the crab meat by one ounce. They turned out great and we've decided that using 3 oz. of crab will be our standard.  

She had a few as a little snack and still has about 20 more that we will store in the freezer for next time.  I'm very proud of her and more importantly, she's proud of herself and her efforts. This may become the signature dish of the Vivver!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 You know that feeling when you make something to eat and you love it so much that you're just really impressed with yourself?  Yeah, that's where I am right now. 

 

I made some Asian-inspired chicken lettuce wraps tonight. Not only am I really happy about this dinner, but there is plenty left for later in the week for lunches or more dinner.  Takes a little prep work, but hey, we're talking about cooking.  Comes with the territory.

Sauce:

• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 3 Tbs hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 Tbs rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 1 Tbs honey
• 2 tsp Sriracha
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (powdered)

Mix all this stuff up with a whisk until smooth.

Filling:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 Tbs oil
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 c. chopped/minced red bell pepper
• 3/4 c. chopped/minced carrot
• 8 oz can water chestnuts, minced

Heat your oil until hot, then add the chicken. Brown it like you would with hamburger. Add onions and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes until onions start getting translucent and carrots are softening. 

Add the peppers and water chestnuts and cook about another 4-5 minutes until peppers are softening. Add sauce and simmer to heat everything through and get meat and veggies nicely coated with the sauce. 

Serve in lettuce leaves with chopped peanuts on top, if you like.  I like tender lettuces for this, like Bibb or butter lettuce, but you can use iceberg, romaine or green leaf, whatever you prefer. 

Keep any leftover filling in the fridge in a ziplock or tupperware type container for the next 5 days or so. Easy to heat up and make an instant lunch or dinner, no effort at all. And, be prepared for one really nice side-effect: your house is going to smell divine!