Chowder

Photo © Rob Jones

These are long dark cold days.

And food? Is a little ray of sunshine.

Chowder to me has always been synonymous with New England. But I think it must be an older dish than that - some say it was taken to America by the early English settlers, or the French. I can’t find it in my early American cookbook. A lot of the early recipes call for the addition of a Ship’s Biscuit to thicken it up. In that way it’s not so different to the Welsh/Liverpool dish Lob Scouse, which was also a favourite of sea farers,

Ingredients:

A couple of packets of fish mix (OK so, I like fish.)
Three rashers of Streaky Bacon.
Small packet of New Potatoes.
1 Large Onion.
A handful of Prawns.
Single cream.
A couple of Fish Stock subes.
Handful of Parsley.
A pinch of Mace.
A pinch of Cayenne Pepper.
Glass of White Wine.

Method:

Pre-boil the potatoes.
Fry up the onion and potato together. Sloosh in the White Wine and reduce.
Add a couple of tablespoons of Plain Flour, Mace and Cayenne, and cover the bacon and onions well.
Add the Fish Stock and gently simmer for a few minutes.
Add the Potatoes and simmer a little longer.
In with the Cream and the Fish Mix and prawns.
It only needs about five minutes of further cooking.
Serve sprinkled with Parsley, with crusty bread.

RJ