Fish Chowdah

The other night we went out to dinner with some friends from the old neighborhood, very nice
people whose company we both enjoy.  At one point Kathleen asked me if I had a good recipe for
fish chowder and I rattled off a series of steps I do since I don't use recipes for this kind of thing.


Later that night, I was thinking that I sure hoped I didn't forget anything so hauled out every one
of my cookbooks that would have recipes for chowders.  Some were overwrought and demanded I
make my own fish stock but I am not the type to enjoy looking at fish heads floating in my bit red
pot, plus I no loonger have a garden to dump things like that after the fact.  Other recipes were
exotic and had things like lemon grass included but I wanted straight old New England Fish Chowder.
I had also told Kathleen that chowder is chowder and you can use the same recipe for clams or corn
too, so I had to prove it to myself.  I was sitting on the floor with 20 old cookbooks around me and
FINALLY found what I was looking for and it is EXACTLY what I do and it's in writing!  I am vindicated.

(I got this from the Mark Bittman cookbook, 'How to Cook Everything'.)  So, here is Sandy and Mark's

Clam/Fish/Corn Chowder      (This recipe says it serves 4, and only takes 30 minutes.)

6 slices thick bacon, minced
1 large onion, minced (I use Vidalias for everything)
2 cups peeled and roughly diced potatos (recipe says baking potatos but I like
Yukon Golds because they hold their shape and don't mush up)
2 Tbs flour (optional)  I never bother with this but if you like it a bit
thicker, go ahead and use it
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried  (tarragon is also nice with fish)
2 cups fish stock, bottled or fresh (Whole Foods has a powdered version that
works fine too)  If you are making clam chowder, use the juices from the clams in addition.
Also, you can substitute chicken or vegetable broth in a pinch.
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or more milk (I use just whole milk, but the
cream would certainly make it more fancy!)
2 cups chunked white fish, like cod OR 1 pint shucked clams + juice OR 2 cups
corn cut off the cob
1 Tbs Butter

minced parsley for garnish

Fry bacon until it's crisp, then remove from pan and add onions and potatos- fry in bacon grease until potatos start to brown and onions are transluscent- about 10 minutes. Add the flour if you're using it, and cook a minute or two, then add thyme. Put in fish stock and cook until potatos are tender, another 10 minutes. (You can stop here and let it chill overnight, then proceed the next day.) Add salt and pepper, then the milk or cream with the fish and bring back up to temperature if it was chilled. Bring to a simmer over low heat, and put a pat of butter on top- it is done when the butter is melted. Garnish with the chopped parsley and maybe a dash of paprika.








Or, you could use this, but hide the can in the trash. Oh- another thing I have to mention is that Manhattan Clam Chowder is a whole different animal and just not 'right' for a New Englander. One never mentions it, as I am doing here, as a viable alternative OR adds tomatos to chowder under any circumstances.







So all day yesterday I was hankering for Fish Chowder. And all day yesterday I was working on the 'HANDWORK' quilt. I finished the quilting, so I thought, but today I went and pulled it off the wall after blocking and am going to do some more, just some straight line background stuff so it won't take long. So, all I have to do after that is add the binding and it will be done.

On Friday I had my first monoprint workshop. The reason I signed up for this is to get some prints on fabric stockpiled for future use. The last pile of fabric I worked on is mostly gone and I love using it as a starting point. The little art center here in town was offering a 5 session class, inexpensive, and it fit into my time frame easily so I signed on. I shoulda known when I got the supply list and a follow-up telephone call from the teacher, that this was not what I was looking for. This woman is a real stickler for Her Own perfect process. For example I showed up with a glass plate that I have used for years for monoprinting, but her supply list specified an acrylic plate. I just plain didn't want to buy more stuff than necessary, and she made me promise to go get the acrylic this week. I*don't*think*so. She also wan't happy with the brand of Odorless thinner I produced- she insisted I use 'her' thinner because she doesn't like any others. I stuck my nose into My thinner and didn't smell a thing, but dutifully went outside to dump Her thinner into my little squeeze bottle.

So, I will show up next week and follow her Rules of Conduct, but this is really a painting-on-glass (er, I mean plexi) class and there is no room for experimentation or, indeed, fun. Oh, did I mention you have to use a picture as a source for doing a print? Yup. I asked if I could just wing it and she did NOT like that at all. And because I started out as That Problem Woman in the back, she hovered at me. Aaaughhhh.

Thankfully Sylvia met me for lunch that day and I ranted away for an hour about the whole experience over Pad Thai and hot jasmine tea.

Last night we were invited out again, this time we were asked to bring Molly because she plays well with their dog, a Havanese named Jake that is like a little scaled down Molly. Seems that the Havanese were bred in Cuba to (are ya sittin' down?) HERD CHICKENS. Yup. He is also good at herding Tibetans and after two hours Molly had about had enough, so pooped in their house. So we made an unceremonious exit. N&M live in a great condo complex, beautifull landscaped, all townhouses joined at the garage so you really feel like it is a separate house- the problem is, even though they have much more space than we do, it's on three floors. Out little incident with the family Achilles tendon this summr made it apparent that we need one floor for our declining years. And that is precisely what I am finding wrong in my condo hunt to find a better neighborhood and a tiny outdoor space. Everything is up and down so I guess we will stay put.

So, if you are good at reading between the lines, you can bet I am finishing up my quilt today, and as I take breaks from that I will be chopping some onions and potatos for my own chowder! It's supposed to rain, and it's perfect for not going out today.