Text 10100, 82 rader
Skriven 2008-07-04 11:36:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: CHOWDAH 564
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 -=> Glen Jamieson said to Dave Drum <=-

 DD> As an accident of being born near a seashore does not make one the
 DD> supreme arbiter of the definition of chowder - which was established
 DD> long before either
 DD> of us were born ... in French. So, you see chowder is not even,
 DD> exclusively, a New England dish.
 GJ> I thought it was Irish in origin.  My reference is the classical song
 GJ> from the salons (or was it the saloons?) of Victorian Britain, "Who
 GJ> threw the overalls in Mrs Murphy's chowder?"

This thread has gotten rowdier than the beans in chili one, and in a
quite short time. I'm guessing that your comment was meant to add a
bit of needed levity; let me add, though, that the original was
probably "who threw the tomatoes in Mrs. Murphy's chowder."

What should go into chowder was eloquently if briefly discussed
in the beginning of Melville's culinary classic Moby-Dick. In a
phrase, "clam or cod?" And (I believe the recipe can be gleaned
from the book) onions, toma... I mean potatoes, and milk. Cheap,
filling, good, and perfect. Dishes evolve to a state that one might
call "type," and I think that once that happens, then it should,
in fact, be as a museum piece. A roast beef, for example, started
with a hunk of meat and some fire. Next, salt, and for the very
rich, pepper. That is the beginning of type - an ideal experience
of roast and beef. I'd accept the slightly more modern additions
of garlic, thyme, maybe savory. But much beyond that yields something
quite different, though not necessarily worse. Foie gras and duxelles
are a nice addition once in a while, but that takes you away from
type. Chili: beef, water, onions, chile peppers, oregano, cumin,
salt. Maybe some cornish starch to thicken. Garlic is a valuable
addition; tomatoes are a bit of a pulling away from type but not a
far one - beef can take tomatoes, whereas clams are too delicate.
Sage (which I use), oatmeal (which I often use), carrots (which I
occasionally use), bell pepper (which I seldom use), and beans
(which I never use), these are riding the dish off into the sunset.

Clean Dave is probably railing more against the Campbellization
of liquid foods than against the New York dish itself; that and
the introduction of impurities in the culinary language. When
I order a rare steak, I don't expect a medium steak; when I order
clam chowder, I don't expect banana nut bread, four and twenty
blackbirds baked into a pie, foie gras, or zuppa di vongole.

Gets to the point where as far as my dinner goes, I trust no
one save me and thee, and I'm not so sure about thee.

--mm
Rhode Island clam chowder
cat: soup, nondairy
serves: 4 to 8

4 oz fatback or pancetta
2 lg onions diced
2 carrots diced
2 ribs celery diced
salt/pepper
3 Tb flour
12 chowder clams (quahogs)
12 oz clam juice
4 lg potatoes diced
Tabasco sauce to taste
1 qt water

In a large pot render pork and remove the meat when rendered.
Saute the onions, celery, and carrots in the rendered fat. Add
salt, pepper, and flour. Mix well turn the heat down to low so
that as the flour cooks, it will not turn brown. Remove quahogs
from their shells. Do this over a bowl to catch the juice.
Strain the juice through cheesecloth. Add the juice to the pot
when the onions are translucent. Depending on the amount of juice
you have, you may want to add either water or a bottle of clam
juice or both. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce heat to a
simmer. Finely dice the quahogs and reserve. Add the potatoes
to the pot. Taste it at this time and adjust the seasoning.
When the potatoes are fork tender, add the clams and simmer
another 3-4 min. Serve immediately.

from: Bob Ficoturo in alt.rhode_island

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