Many cookbooks deliver the goods–recipes–and not much else. Occasionally, though, even as you turn pages at random, you will sense something more is being offered.
So it is with “50 Chowders” (Scribner, $30), by New England chef Jasper White. White, who has been cooking in Boston for more than 20 years, most recently gave us “Lobster at Home,” a successor to the award-winning “Jasper White’s Cooking from New England.” Working once again in familiar waters, he provides a thorough and thoughtful exploration of the chowder family as well as very tasty examples of the genre.
The chef provides the usual disclaimers meant to reassure cooks lacking in confidence, time or both. Chowders can be made ahead–are better made ahead–he writes. They can be made in family or party size as one-pot meals and are excellent vehicles for leftovers. To accompany the chowders, he provides bonus recipes for breads and three fritters, as well as several desserts.
As for timing, he’s a little evasive. “Some chowders take more time to make than others,” he writes. But invariably preparation is “easy.” Furthermore, chowder is “unpretentious,” not scary. “There’s never been one true chowder,” he writes, opening the door to a book of 50 chowders and culinary anarchy at the same time.
Having touched these various bases, he dons his chef’s apron and becomes an enthusiastic scholar-scientist. First, he presents an array of stocks and broths, then goes on to share the antique concept of “building a chowder” by layering ingredients and pouring water over them. Knowing that fish chowder with clams is connected to the layered fish chowder is connected to the Pacific Northwest salmon chowder with peas makes it easier to prepare variations on the theme. (It is reassuring that the one ingredient in every recipe is onion. Potato and salt pork or bacon are nearly as pervasive. There’s an unpretentious beginning.)
But it’s not yet time to approach the stove. White also wants readers to know about the ingredients he uses. His presentation of them is so relaxed and conversational, we might be walking with him through a fish market. Descriptions of such chowder favorites as Atlantic cod and haddock are accompanied by excellent line drawings, as are how-to steps on skinning and boning a fillet and filleting a round fish. White is full of information about corn and potatoes and tomatoes, too, and–for lovers of trivia–he shares important moments in the folklore and history of chowder over the past 300 years in a separate chapter.
Of course, the heart of the book is its recipes. The chef begins with New England fish chowder and presents local creations such as Nova Scotia lobster chowder and Portuguese fish chowder from the south coast of Massachusetts. His furthest reach culturally is to Bermuda for fish chowder with crab, served with rum and sherry pepper sauce. He also explores the less well-known category of “farmhouse” chowders. Corn chowder is the most popular of these, while Nantucket veal chowder may be the most arcane. The aftermath of Thanksgiving should present an opportunity to try another, the very tasty leftover turkey chowder with sage. The recipes we tested were straightforward to prepare and yielded tasty results.
The only unexpected note is White’s decidedly un-Yankee tolerance of red, or Manhattan, clam chowder, an anomaly that perhaps can be traced back to his New Jersey boyhood.
POTATO CHOWDER WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 cups
From “50 Chowders,” by Jasper White.
4 ounces slab (unsliced) bacon, rind removed and cut into 1/3-inch dice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion (10 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch dice
3 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon Coleman’s dry English mustard
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold, Maine, or other all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups whipping cream Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt
6 ounces Vermont or other sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
Tabasco sauce (optional)
For garnish: 4 green onions, thinly sliced
1. Heat a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced bacon. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
2. Add the butter, onion and sage and saute, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is tender but not browned. Stir in the dry mustard and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Add the potatoes and stock. Turn up the heat, cover, bring to a boil, and cook vigorously for about 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender on the outside but still firm in the center. With your spoon, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot and cook for minutes more to release their starch.
4. Remove the chowder from the heat and stir in the cream. Season with pepper, then under-season with a little bit of salt, as the cheese will add more salt when it is added later. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
5. Reheat the chowder slowly over low heat until it is hot but has not reached a simmer. Gradually stir in the Cheddar cheese and continue to stir constantly until all the cheese has melted into the velvety broth. Taste the chowder and season with the optional hot sauce and more salt, if needed. Let it come just to a simmer, then immediately remove it from the heat. Ladle the chowder into cups or small bowls and top each with a generous portion of sliced green onions.
Nutrition information per serving: (calculated by the Tribune)
Calories ………… 505 Fat ………… 39 g Saturated fat … 23 g
% calories from fat .. 68 Cholesterol .. 125 mg Sodium …….. 530 mg
Carbohydrates …… 27 g Protein …….. 14 g Fiber ………. 2.4 g
LEFTOVER TURKEY CHOWDER WITH SAGE
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 cups
Serve this chowder as a main course with biscuits or corn bread. From “50 Chowders,” by Jasper White.
4 ounces slab (unsliced) bacon, rind removed and cut into 1/3-inch dice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion (12 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch dice
3 stalks celery (6 ounces), cut into 1/3-inch slices
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped (1 teaspoon)
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 pounds yellow gold, Maine, or any other all-purpose potato, sliced 1/3-inch thick
About 4 cups homemade turkey stock (or chicken broth)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds leftover turkey meat, coarsely shredded or cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (or up to 2 cups if desired)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For garnish: 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1. Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the bacon. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
2. Add the butter, onion, celery, thyme and sage and saute, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
3. Add the potatoes and 4 cups of the turkey stock. The stock should barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn’t, add more stock or water to cover. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cover and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. If the broth hasn’t thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot and cook a minute or two longer to release their starch.
4. Add the turkey and simmer for 5 minutes more. If you have added more than 1 pound of turkey meat, add more stock (up to 1 cup for 1 1/2 pounds of meat). Remove the chowder from the heat, stir in the cream, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
5. When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don’t let it boil. Use a slotted spoon to mound the turkey, onions, celery, and potatoes in the center of large soup plates or shallow bowls and ladle the creamy broth around. Sprinkle each serving with chopped parsley.
Nutrition information per serving: (calculated by the Tribune)
Calories ………… 435 Fat ………… 29 g Saturated fat .. 16 g
% calories from fat .. 60 Cholesterol .. 120 mg Sodium ……. 365 mg
Carbohydrates …… 21 g Protein …….. 22 g Fiber ……… 2.2 g
