Bear Cuisine

A Bowl of Comfort

I have loved chowder, especially clam chowder, for as long as I can remember. Its creamy warmth combined with a slightly salty tang and the taste of clams has always been a favorite. So, when we were in Plymouth I made sure to have it as often as I could.

When we returned home,I did a bit of research on chowder, the quintessential New England dish, and found that for  New Englanders this food is as powerful as Proust's madeleine.

"For New Englanders, and those who would be ones, chowder is a sea swell of the soul. A bowl of chowder (never a cup) evokes a forgotten day years ago, a slanted shaft of light on a wooden table, a stove-top pot steaming as the languorous hours of an autumn afternoon drift toward revelation. chowder recalls a breeze-swept shore, a celebration of friends and walkers-by decked out in rain gear and wool, seasoned with salt and sand and shocks of briny kelp.For Henry David Thoreau, chowder was the culmination of a day in his beloved Concord woods; for Herman Melville, it sang of the friendship of unlikely shipmates discovering the "fishiest of all fishy places," a weathered tavern in he byways of Nantucket. A simmering bowl, a shore-side meal, chowder is sustenance in its most elemental form--sustenance of body and mind--a marker of hearth and home, community family and culture. So many liquid shades of recall, chowder charts the shoals and eddies of the New England shore and points the way home." (Robert S. Cox and Jacob Walker. A History of Chowder. Four Centuries of A New England Meal., p. 11)

At home , I tried to recreate the creamy chowder we had enjoyed. The best recipe was in Jasper White's Summer Shack Cookbook.  This recipe may seem involved, but the results are worth whatever effort you have to expend.

CREAMY CAPE COD CLAM CHOWDER

(Makes 3 quarts; serves 12 as an appetizer or 6 to 8 as a main course)

1. 10 pounds small quahogs or large cherry-stone clams
2. 2 cups water
3. 4 ounces meaty salt pork, rind removed and cut into small (1/3-inch) dice
4. 2 TBS unsalted butter
5. 2 medium yellow onions (about 18 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice
6. 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
7. 2 stalks celery (4 ounces),cut into 1/3-inch dice
8. 5 t 6 springs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped (1 tablespoon)
9. 1 large dried bay leaf
10. 2 pounds Yukon Gold, Maine PEI or other all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice
11. 2 cups heavy ream
12. Freshly ground black pepper
13. Kosher or sea salt if needed
14. 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

All chowders improve after they are made so allow at least an hour from the time the chowder is cooked until it is served. You can make the chowder 1 or 2 days in advance. Reheat it slowly; never let it boil.

 

Scrub the clams and rinse well Place them in a large pot, add the water, cover and turn the heat to high Once you see a little steam escape from the pot let the clams cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and quickly move the clams around in the pot so they will cook evenly, then cover and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the clams open.

Pour off the broth and reserve. After it has settled a bit,strain the broth, leaving the bottom 1/2 inch of broth (and sediment) in the container. You should have about 4 cups. Remove the clams from the shells, place in a bowl, and refrigerate until cold.

Dice the clams into small (1/3- to 1/2-inch) pieces. Cover and refrigerate.

Rinse and dry the pot and heat over low heat. Add the salt pork and cook until crispy and brown. Add the butter, onions, garlic, celery, thyme and bay leaf and saute, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes, until the onions are softened but not browned.

Add the potatoes and 4 cups reserved clam broth the broth should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn't,add more broth or water. Turn the heat to high, cover the pot, and boil vigorously for about 10 minutes,until the potatoes are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. Smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot and stir them into the chowder to lightly thicken it.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream and diced clams. Season with black pepper; you may not need salt (the clams usually have enough of their own). If you are serving the chowder within the hour, just let it sit and "cure." Otherwise, let cool to room temperature and refrigerate it; cover it after it has chilled.

When ready to serve, reheat the chowder slowly over medium heat; do not let it boil. Ladle into cups or bowls and sprinkle with the parsley.

 CLAM CHOWDER With Oyster Crackers*

 *Oyster crackers are readily available in most parts of the country, but the more traditional accompaniment is the Common Cracker. Again, Jasper White provides an informative commentary.

"Common crackers are small round crackers (1 to 2 inches in diameter) made with a yeast dough,which gives them a rich flavor and a hollow center. Traditionally they split open with a fork or knife and the halves are then buttered and toasted in the oven (about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F). They are served as a side to chowder adding a much needed crunch. These crackers have been made commercially for more than two hundred years, so nobody really makes them at home anymore. Common crackers, along with the famous Pilot cracker (Nabisco) and "hard bread" of maritime Canada, are deeply rooted in the history of chowder making. They are the descendants of hardtack, or ship's biscuits, which were nothing more than baked bricks made of flour and water.Hardtack was a necessity, because it was the only way that flour would keep from rotting on ships or in damp coastal areas. In early days, crackers were added right into the chowder; as potatoes became popular, the crackers worked their way out of the bowl and onto the side, where they are still served as a crispy garnish for chowders and soups."

If you want to try Common Crackers, check out the Vermont Country Store which will happily send them to you.

 

 

Gifts From the Sea

Every few years I find myself returning to the east coast.  The lure of the sea is irresistible and part of the draw is the marvelous seafood that one can find in abundance everywhere on the Atlantic seaboard. When I'm there, I try to eat every dish that I have dreamed of in the intervening years since my last visit.

This year we found a new purveyor of beautiful seafood in Plymouth Massachusetts, Wood's Seafood. Located on Town Wharf, Wood's offers a selection of fresh fish and lobster to locals and visitors  almost every day of the year. Their dining room is basic, but offers a lovely view of the harbor and Mayflower II. The food is simply prepared and the fresh taste of these gifts from the sea can be appreciated in every bite. I can't eat the pictures, but I can re-imagine the taste of these amazingly good meals.

Lobster Bisque

Clam Chowder

 Clambake

Lobster Roll

Wood's Seafood

15 Town Wharf

Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360

508-746-0261

www.woodsseafoods.com

An Homage to Mom

My mother was a YANKEE from the top of her head to her toe tips. Her identity showed in ever so many ways. She was frugal to the point of being penurious at times. Having lived through two world wars and The Great Depression she knew the importance of every penny and how hard they were to come by. She was recycling and repurposing long before such practices were in vogue.

She was also an excellent cook who knew how to prepare a satisfying, nutritious meal for her three always-hungry children One of my favorites was her New England Boiled Dinner. I think she thought of this as a work-a-day meal that would provide good leftovers, but to me it was a tremendous treat. The meat was juicy and tender and the vegetables tasted of the broth in which they had been cooked. Savory with just the right amount of salt and pepper. This meal was one that I looked forward to. Now, the memory of it is colored by my adult awareness of how hard she worked to create a home that was safe and secure for her family. The taste of her boiled dinner is flavored by her love which she often found difficult to express in other ways.

Every year around St. Patrick's Day, the markets are filled with corned beef briskets. This year as I looked at them, I decided that we should have an old-fashioned New England Boiled Dinner. I loved making it, but it didn't taste like Mom's. It just didn't have that  mellow , savory taste that I remembered. We all know that memory is tricky and extremely unreliable, but I would like to think that she would be complimented that I thought her rendition of this classic tasted better than mine. 

NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER

 This version is from David Rosengarten and calls for more vegetables than one customarily finds in this dish. This will easily serve eight people.While I don't think it's as good as my mother's, it is still pretty tasty. Better than good enough.

NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER

1. 1 (3 1/2 pound) corned beef brisket
2. 2 bay leaves
3. 2 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
4. 4 whole cloves
5. 4 whole allspice berries
6. 11/2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
7. 1/2 medium onion with skin
8. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
9. 12 cups cold water
10. 2 medium beets
11. 1 small cabbage, outer leaves removed, cut through the stem into 8 wedges
12. 3/4 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
13. 2 medium turnips (about 3/4 pound)peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
14. 2 medium parsnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
15. 2 medium carrots (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
16. 6 small white onions, peeled but left whole, root end trimmed
17. 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
18. 1 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
19. 1 tablespoon chopped chives, for garnish
20. Horseradish as accompaniment
21. Grainy mustard as accompaniment

Trim all but 1/4-inch fat from the corned beef. Place in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer and simmer 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the corned beef. Return to the pot and add bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, justard seeds, onion and garlic. Add cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently partially covered, for 3 to 4 hours, until corned beef is tender but not falling apart. Add more water as necessary to keep the brisket submerged.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cook, peel, and cut into wedges. Keep warm for serving.

Remove corned beef from the pot and strain cooking liquid. Wrap corned beef in foil and keep warm in low oven. Return the liquid to a simmer and cook the vegetables until tender in the following groupings and for the following approximagte times:

cabbage:20 minutes

rutabaga and turnips: 18 minutes

Parsnips, carrots and onions: 15 minutes

potatoes: 10 minutes

As the vegetables cook, set them aside and add the next batch, or cook them in stages in the same pot.

To serve, return all the vegetables to the pot with the cooking liquid (if cooked separately). Slice warm corned beef thinly against the grain. Serve corned beef in shallow soup bowls with vegetables strewn around the bowl. Ladle hot stock over all, about 1/2 cup per bowl. Garnish with parsley and chives and serve immediately, with horseradish and mustard on the side.