There are some really great places in Windham and Raymond to get some decent chowder. Gilbert’s and Bob’s both have really great chowder. For some reason, though, I find myself loving the process of making chowder and getting my house to smell like chowder. Nothing more heartwarming than a kettle of chowder simmering away, I tell you. I started trying my hand at chowders about four years ago. I made my roux which turned into thickened milk and added my already cooked potatoes, clams, and clam juice. It was good, but it wasn’t great. I learned quickly that it’s all in the seasoning.
First let’s address this “already cooked potato” business. Some folks may say that the potatoes should cook in the chowdah broth to not only absorb the deliciousness within, but also to help thicken the chowder with the potato starch. Since I can thicken with a flour-based roux, I pre-cook my potatoes in some sort of flavorful stock and salt. The stock I choose is dependent upon what kind of chowder I am cooking. If I am making any sort of seafood chowder I use seafood stock (I buy Kitchen Basics – I think it’s the best store bought stuff one could find – making it homemade is better, but I don’t have the space to store it in my freezer). Here’s where I get fancy – if I’m making any kind of corn chowder, I boil my ears of corn in water and a little bit of milk. This flavors the water completely and makes a “corn stock” (not to be confused with corn stalk). I use a little bit of this and a little bit of chicken stock to cook my potatoes.
I start my chowder with onions, lots of sweet onions and brown them up. Then I sprinkle in the flour to create my roux, and then I add my milk and stock. Once again this depends on the chowder that I am making: Seafood chowders get seafood stock, corn chowders get corn stock – if there’s chicken involved I use a little bit of that, too. This is when seasoning is key – salt and pepper – this brings out all the natural flavors of the chowder – it let’s them shine. Finally add the potatoes and the protein or corn.
Oddly enough, I decided to write this column because I am making chorizo corn chowder for a luncheon at school on Wednesday. So here’s the scoop (or ladle) – building a chowder is the same from start to finish. It’s all in what you put in the pot that makes it fantastic. I plan on rendering out my chorizo first, removing it from my pot then adding the butter and onions to sweat. Once the chowder is finished, in goes the corn and chorizo. I feel this will be quite flavorful, indeed.
Like I said before, there is something soothing to the soul about a bowl of chowder. Even better, is a bowl of chowder and some crusty bread (I am my father’s son). The best part is, if you buy the right bread, you can dig out the center and create a bread bowl for your chowder. This is what I love to order at Gilbert’s for lunch, no reason some homemade chowdah can’t make its way into a bread bowl at home, though!
Chorizo Corn Chowdah
2 links chorizo, casing removed
1 sweet onion, diced
6 Tablespoons Butter
6 Tablespoons Flour
2 ears of corn
1 small bag frozen corn
4 cups corn stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup chicken stock
Water
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups half and half
6 chef white MAINE potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Boil the ears of corn in 5 cups of water with a splash of milk and some salt and pepper. When done, remove the corn from the ears using a Bundt pan to catch the kernels and the juices. Defrost frozen corn. Boil the potatoes in 1 cup of the corn stock, the chicken stock and water to cover. Cook until fork tender.
In the bottom of a soup or stock pot, render the peeled chorizo and remove it from the pan, add butter and onions. Sweat the onions until translucent. This should be done on medium-high heat. Add in the corn stock, milk, and cream. Turn the heat down to low. Add corn, chorizo and potatoes. Allow to simmer low and slow for 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to marry and the flour from the roux to cook off. Enjoy.
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