The Houndstooth Gourmet

Entries Tagged as 'soup'

Cheddar Corn Chowder Redux

With this recipe, The Houndstooth Gourmet hits a bit of a milestone. For the first time in the blog’s almost 1 year history, I’m repeating a seasonal recipe because it is one of my all time favorites; cheddar corn chowder.

This recipe is adapted from The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe, with a couple minor tweaks and adjustments. A little more poatoto here, a dash of thyme there, and a handful of Gruyere make it my own. This recipe feeds a lot of people, so be sure to use a large pot to begin with and know that it freezes beautifully, so you will be able to enjoy this summer’s corn well past summer.

Like cooking with wine, make sure that you only use corn that would be delicious right off of the cob. When cutting your corn off the cob, be careful not to cut too close to the kernal’s attachment to the cob, as it can be quite tough and woody.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Ingredients

6-7 strips thick-cut bacon

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large onions, finely diced

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon turmeric

12 cups chicken stock

pinch red pepper flakes

2-2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4″ piece

10 ears corn, kernels removed from cob

2 cups half and half

1 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 lb. Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

In a heavy bottom large pot (preferably, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add bacon and fry until crisp. Remove bacon to drain on paper towel.

Add onions to skill and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add flour and turmeric. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken stock, red pepper flakes and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Add corn and half and half. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Add cheddar cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve garnished with crumbled bacon and Gruyere.

Tags: cheese, corn, Recipe, soup by Ramona
9 Comments »

Summer Borscht

Truth be told, I eat soup year round-hot and cold. Certain soups can be eaten both ways. Potato leek soup, or vichysoise is one, and borscht is another. Here’s a beet borscht that I put together with beets and dill bought from Medina’s Produce at the Kingstowne Farmers Market.

The real kicker is the dill juice! It gives the soup a nice sour zip. Enjoy this soup as hot are as chilled as you wish.

Summer Borscht

serves 6-8

Ingredients

6 medium beets

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons vinegar

juice 1 lemon

2-3 tablespoons dill pickle juice

1/4 cup sugar, or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

sour cream to garnish

bunch fresh dill, chopped to garnish

Directions

Thoroughly rinse and clean beets. Cut stems approximately 3-4 inches above beet. Place beets in pan and cover with water. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer covered for about an hour, or until tender.

Remove beets from water and allow to cool. Reserve about a quart and a half of the beet liquid. When beets are cool, peel and dice them into bite-size pieces.

Return beets and beet broth to the pan and heat over medium low heat. Add chicken stock, vinegar, lemon juice, and dill pickle juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve when warmed, or allow to cool to room temperature. Garnish with a dollop of cold sour cream and fresh dill.

Tags: Recipe, soup by Ramona
8 Comments »

Puree Of Sunchoke Soup

Last Sunday at the Dupont Farmers Market, I picked up a carton of sunchokes, not to be confused with artichokes. The producer at Next Step Farm where I purchased them told me that sunchokes don’t truly need to be peeled and that they could just be scrubbed, seasoned and roasted in the oven. Sounded good.

But, with me being a soup geek, I decided to turn them into a creamy soup since I had all of the other ingredients on hand; shallot, chicken stock, cream and herbs. The soup came together easily and I have found a new favorite. Sunchokes taste like the similarly named artichoke. They are slightly sweet, a bit tangy, and nutty.

Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem Artichokes (They’re not from Jerusalem, and they’re not artichokes. Discuss), are little tubers which resemble fresh ginger. These New World tubers have waxed and waned in popularity, and now seem to be making a comeback as a change to the traditional potato for starch. Diabetics often use sunchokes as a substitite for potatoes because the sunchoke contains inulin; which is not absorbed by the body. Inulin also feeds the helpful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, therefore, aiding in digestion.

Sunchokes need to be stored in a cool dry place. I stored mine, as advised, in a plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Once exposed to the air, sunchokes oxidize quickly and discolor. When preparing sunchokes for cooking, soak them in acidic water (squeeze a lemon) to avoid discoloration.

Puree of Sunchoke Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 lb. sunchokes

1 large shallot, diced

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

white truffle oil (optional)

Directions

Prepare sunchokes by scrubbing and peeling off any “eye’s” are dark blemishes. Slice into 1 inch pieces.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallot and saute for 4-5 minutes until they begin to soften and become transluscent. Add sunchokes and stir. Add thyme, a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir frequently.

Add chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, until sunchokes are easily pierced with a fork.

Remove bay leaf. Puree mixture in batches using a blender, or in the pot using a stick blender. Blend until smooth. You can choose to strain the soup with a fine mesh/chinois at this point. I left my soup a bit rustic.

Return soup to pot and add cream. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve garnished with a drizzle of white truffle oil (optional).