09/27/14 recipe -Taste USA

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Maine Corn Chowder

How to make Maine Corn Chowder Recipe - Warming bowls of hot soup and a loaf of fresh-baked bread makes up the menu of many country suppers. This is quick to make with ingredients that can be easily kept on hand.

Makes 4 generous servings

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3 large potatoes, diced
Water
1 (16-ounce) can cream-style corn
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk or 1 (12-ounce) can, undiluted
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a medium-sized saucepan, cook onion and potatoes in water to cover until vegetables are soft but not mushy.

Add corn and evaporated milk. Heat through. Stir in butter, salt and pepper.

Country Garden Vegetable Soup

How to make Country Garden Vegetable Soup Recipe - Use fresh garden vegetables or substitute an equivalent amount of frozen or canned, preferably home-processed vegetables.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:
1 large soup bone with meat
1 pound lean beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
4 whole black peppercorns
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 cups mixed sliced carrots, chopped celery, whole-kernel corn and fresh or frozen green peas
1 quart chopped fresh tomatoes, or 1 quart home-canned tomatoes, or 2 (16-ounce) cans whole or stewed tomatoes
3 parsley sprigs, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each dried leaf rosemary, marjoram and thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a large, heavy, soup pot, brown soup bone and stew meat in oil over medium to high heat, slowly turning meat to brown on all sides.

Remove from heat and carefully add water, bay leaf and peppercorns. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove bone. Skim fat from top of broth. Add barley; simmer 45 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, corn, peas, tomatoes and herbs. Simmer, covered, 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Add salt and pepper.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

How to make Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup Recipe - These crispy morsels make great appetizers simply sprinkled with a bit of seasoning or eaten plain. They can also be used to garnish soup.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
Popped Wild Rice, see below
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1-1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced, including tops
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 pint whipping cream or half and half (1 cup)
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Popped Wild Rice:
Vegetable oil
Wild rice

Method:
Prepare Popped Wild Rice; set aside. Wash 1/2 cup wild rice in 3 changes of hot tap water. Add to 1-1/2 cups water in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 35 to 45 minutes or until rice is tender. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat butter. Add green onions and mushrooms.

Saute 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth.

Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Add boiled wild rice, cream or half and half and sherry, stirring until heated through. Garnish with Popped Wild Rice.

To prepare Popped Wild Rice:
Pour oil 1/2 inch deep in a large heavy skillet. Place a wire strainer in oil as you heat oil almost to smoking point. Add 1 tablespoon wild rice to oil in strainer. Remove with strainer as soon as wild rice stops popping. Drain on paper towels. Repeat. One tablespoon unpopped wild rice gives about 3 tablespoons popped.

Cheddar Cheese Soup

How to make Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe - The idea of a cheese soup is one that comes from many cuisines. An Italian version is made with pepperoni and Parmesan cheese, another combines bourbon and Swiss cheese.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
1 small carrot, shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 to 1-1/2 cups milk
Salt to taste
White pepper or red (cayenne) pepper to taste

Method:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat butter. Add onion, carrot, green pepper and celery.

Saute 6 to 8 minutes or until soft but not browned. Turn vegetables into a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade. While processing, add flour and broth.

Return to saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until soup thickens. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes.

Whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Cook until cheese dissolves, then pour in 1 cup milk, adding 1/2 cup more if soup is too thick.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and white and red pepper. Heat to serving temperature. Soup is good either hot or cold.

Variation
Milwaukee Beer-Cheese Soup: Substitute 1 (12-ounce) can or bottle dark beer for milk. Add 1 cup whipping cream to soup before serving.

Scandinavian Potato and Salmon Chowder

How to make Scandinavian Potato and Salmon Chowder Recipe - Poached fish left from an earlier meal is perfect to use in this soup. Besides salmon you could use any firm-fleshed fish such as cod, trout, whitefish or haddock.

Makes 4 generous servings

Ingredients:
1 pint milk (2 cups)
1 large potato, pared, diced
1/3 cup diced celery
1 small onion, minced
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (15-ounce) can pink or red salmon, skin and bones removed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Scald milk by heating almost to boiling point. Put potato, celery and onion into a large saucepan.

Add water to barely cover vegetables. Simmer about 10 minutes until soft but not mushy. In a medium-sized pan, heat butter. Add flour and stir until blended.

Gradually stir in hot milk, whisking until smooth and thickened.

Add to vegetables with salmon, can juices and tomato paste. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Texas Shrimp Gumbo

How to make Texas Shrimp Gumbo Recipe - Although we often think of Texas as a beef state, it does border Louisiana and a large part of it lies along the Gulf of Mexico. This gumbo is considered a Texan classic.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
4 quarts water
1/4 cup shrimp or crab boil
2-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 cup each diced celery, onion and green green pepper
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon file powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package thawed, frozen, cut okra
1/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice

Method:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Tie shrimp or crab boil in a cheesecloth bag. Add to water with shrimp. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Turn off heat; let stand 10 minutes.

Drain shrimp, reserving 2 cups broth. In a heavy Dutch oven, heat butter and bacon drippings. Add celery, onion and green pepper. Cook until tender.

Add shrimp broth, tomatoes with juice, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, file powder, salt and pepper to vegetable mixture. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes.

Add okra and rice. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Add shrimp and heat through.

New Orleans File Gumbo

How to make New Orleans File Gumbo Recipe - This is an interesting dish to serve as a main course for supper during the holiday season when oysters and other seafoods are more available. Vary the seafood as you wish or follow this recipe for a tasty gumbo.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 quart oyster liquor
1 pint boiling water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 cup peeled cooked shrimp
1 cup crabmeat
12 fresh oysters, shucked
1 cooked chicken breast, diced
1 tablespoon file powder
Hot cooked rice

Method:
In a large heavy skillet, heat butter. Add onion. Saute until lightly browned. Add parsley and flour. Gradually add oyster liquor, boiling water, salt, pepper and bay leaf, stirring constantly until blended and boiling.

Add seafood and chicken; stir gently. Cook only until edges of oysters curl. Remove from heat.

Carefully sift or sprinkle in file, stirring gently to prevent file from lumping. Do not reheat once file has been added. Turn into a warmed tureen. Serve in soup bowls over hot cooked rice.

Oyster Stew

How to make Oyster Stew Recipe - This stew appears on Christmas Eve and was also traditionally served at New England community Watch-Party services on New Year's Eve. On one rule all agree, that the stew is not to be thickened. Milk, cream or half and half is the only liquid.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pint fresh shucked oysters in liquor
1/4 cup butter
1 cup half and half
3 cups milk
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Method:
Put oysters and butter into a medium-sized heavy saucepan and heat slowly until edges of oysters curl. Scald half and half and milk by heating almost to boiling point.

Add hot half and half and milk to oysters. Return to boiling point; remove from heat.

Add pepper, salt and paprika. Serve immediately with oyster crackers.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

How to make Manhattan Clam Chowder Recipe - This is the chowder that is made with tomatoes, an unthinkable ingredient to die-hard New Englanders!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon slices, chopped
4 medium-sized onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
1 pint fresh shucked clams in liquor
Water
1-1/2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
1 bay leaf
3 medium-sized potatoes, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a large soup pot, cook bacon until crisp. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings. Add onions, carrots, celery and parsley. Cook on low to medium heat 8
minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Drain tomatoes and clams, reserving liquid. Add clam liquor to tomato liquid and enough water to equal 6 cups.

Add to pot with vegetables and thyme, bay leaf and potatoes. Simmer, covered, 40 minutes. Add clams, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Heat to serving temperature.

New England Clam Chowder

How to make New England Clam Chowder Recipe - It is natural that the native food of the Northeast should be fish.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 pound salt pork, rind removed, pork cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Water
1 pint fresh shucked clams in liquor
1-1/2 cups half and half or 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk, undiluted
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
Additional whole milk
Common crackers or soda crackers

Method:
In a medium-sized heavy skillet, cook salt pork until crisp. Meanwhile, in a mediumsized saucepan, simmer onion and potatoes in water to cover 10 minutes.

Add clams and cook 10 minutes longer. Add salt pork. Reduce heat to low. Add half and half or evaporated milk, salt, pepper, butter and additional whole milk, as desired.

Heat through; do not boil. Serve over split crackers.

Note:
The word "chowder" is thought to be derived from the French copper pot "la chaudiere." An old French custom was to greet a homecoming fisherman with a feast cooked in the pot. The tradition carried over to the eastern Canadian and New England coast where "la chaudiere" became "chowder."