2013 will forever be remembered as the year of the soup
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Not only is it wonderful for swapping, but lends itself nicely when friends and family get sick, or you mom gets wire braces and can't chew, or you just need something to pull out of the freezer on a random Monday night
In need of inspiration, I turned to Food 52. They have so many fun recipe contests, and their Best Onion and Garlic Soups didn't disappoint.
Chowder? Conceptually perfect, and a great base from which to add
Loaded with all the cream and fat? Not so much.
True to the healthy swap philosophy, half and half was replaced with milk. Was the creamy texture what it could have been? Probably not, but I didn't miss a thing
There are lots and lots of fun addition ideas online. Those that stood out added shrimp or other varieties of fish. Yum, great protein! I imagine other veggies, like butternut squash, would work as well.
Oh, and I learned a cool tip about chowder making. It's best made by assembling all of its parts and pieces, bringing it to a boil, covering the pot and letting it sit 30 minutes. Who knew?
It worked beautifully for me.
Everyone who's had a taste of two of this one has asked for more. It's terribly, terribly good.
Enjoy!
xoxo
~ Adapted from Food52
Three Onion Chowder with Parsleyed Oyster Crackers
Ingredients
- Soup
- 3 strips bacon ¼" dice (or 3 oz pancetta)
- 2 cups yellow onion, peeled and julienned
- 2 leeks, rinsed, white parts only, sliced into half-moons
- 4 shallots, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup celery, ¼" dice
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cup half and half
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½" dice
- 1 Tbsp Italian parsley, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- Parsleyed Oyster Crackers
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup oyster crackers
- 1 Tbsp Italian parsley, minced
- salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Soup
- In a 3 quart Dutch oven or saucepan add the butter and pancetta and place it over medium heat to render the pancetta.
- Once some of the fat has been released, add the onions, shallot, and celery. Saute until they are just becoming golden. You don’t want them to brown too much, or the soup will be brown.
- Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme. Cook until the leeks are just becoming soft.
- Add the bay leaf and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil and add the half-and-half and the potatoes.
- Bring the soup back to a boil and then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot. Allow it to rest for at least thirty minutes.
- To finish the soup reheat it but don’t let it boil. Taste a potato to check and see if it is done and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- If the potatoes are not done, then cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Parsleyed Oyster Crackers
- Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the butter and once it has stopped bubbling but is not brown, add the oyster crackers and toss the crackers to coat with the butter.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the parsley and toss the crackers gently to coat all the crackers with the parsley. Pour out onto a baking sheet and let cool
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