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chowder

Finding Freshness in the Freezer

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Mid-winter meals often call for “something fresh.”

At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, “something fresh” in February usually means stored fruits and vegetables from late summer harvests, or items like microgreens and pea shoots that can be grown in flat trays over heating mats or under lights, or small tomatoes and cucumbers that can be grown in greenhouses.

Late summer produce, photo By Eric Jenks

All that is good. But sometimes the taste buds want something more – out of season peppers, beans, broccoli, a wide variety of tomatoes, or corn.

In the past, saving foods for the winter was a necessity. In a practice known as “putting foods by,” families salted, pickled, dried, canned or otherwise preserved freshly harvested fruits or vegetables for later use.

The rise of global shipping and grocery chains caused many to abandon the practice, as did changes in the societal structure that led to longer working hours and more activities outside the home. It became faster and easier to just drop by the store.

But I hate buying non-local produce. I love growing food with my husband and supporting my farmer friends by buying what they grow. Last September I decided to try putting foods by in a simple way: I stored fresh tomatoes, beans, peppers, broccoli and sweet corn in freezer bags. On my mind then was Chowderfest, and its fabulous chowders, many of which get their zest from non-winter foods.

The result? Winter meals with more variety, flavor, and color – fresh tomato sauces, roasted broccoli, and braised beans served alongside the apples, turnips, carrots, and microgreens I can still get weekly at the market. 

I hope to finish off these delights by early May when the market moves to its outdoor location on Wednesdays and Saturdays at High Rock Park. Then, I will start planning for next winter. I invite you to join me in this venture as you visit the market now and in the future.

Clams & Mussels from Pura Vida Fisheries, photo by Pattie Garrett

As for chowder, I am thinking classic New England, made with clams (Pura Vida Fisheries) or chicken (Squashville Farm, Ramble Creek Farm, Mariaville Mushroom Men, and others), milk (Battenkill Valley Creamery), potatoes, and kernels of sweet corn, purchased last summer for weekends like this.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

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Adapted from recipe by Yvonne Ruperti on www.seriouseats.com, and shared by MySaratogaKitchenTable.com

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

1 whole small chicken* (about 3 pounds)

3 medium onions*, divided (1 halved, 2 finely chopped)

2 medium celeriac* (celery roots) or stalks of celery, divided (2 halved, 2 finely chopped)

2 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

8 sprigs thyme* (4 left whole, leaves removed from remaining 4 and chopped)

2 teaspoons olive oil

8 ounces bacon* finely chopped

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 pounds potatoes*, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 quart)

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup heavy cream*

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Handful chopped parsley*

Directions

1. Place chicken in large Dutch oven. Add halved onion, celery root, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 4 sprigs thyme. Add just enough water to cover (about 3 quarts). Bring to boil over high heat, reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook until chicken is falling off the bone, about 1 hour.

2. Carefully remove chicken from stock and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat, then return bones to pot. Continue to simmer stock for 1 more hour. Meanwhile, shred chicken, place in a medium bowl, add 1 ladle of stock, and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. After 1 hour, strain stock and let sit 15 minutes. Skim fat from the top, then measure. You should have about 6 to 7 cups. If more, gently simmer to reduce. If less, add water to reach at least 6 cups.

4. In empty stockpot, heat oil and bacon over low heat. Cook, stirring until bacon is crispy and fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

5. Add chopped onions, chopped celery root, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pot. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour and cook until pale golden blond, about 1 minute. Whisk in stock in a thin steady stream until fully incorporated. Add potatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are barely tender, about 10 minutes.

6. Add corn and chopped thyme. Cook until corn is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken, bacon, and cream to heat through. Season to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Cracking the Code for Chowder

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By Pattie Garrett

What’s more American than apple pie? Along the Eastern Seaboard, the answer could very well be clam chowder, specifically New England clam chowder. Despite the variations – Manhattan, Rhode Island – the classic chowder is New England.
 Chowder originated in fishing villages along the coasts of France and Britain. Fishermen returning from their trips would celebrate with a large chaudiere – or cauldron – of their catch. The name of the mix of fish, aromatics, and vegetables cooked in the chaudiere came to be known over time as chowder. Because clams and oysters were plentiful on America’s northeast coast and a favorite with Native Americans, they came to be adopted by the Europeans who settled in the Americas, too. From these coastal beginnings came New England clam chowder.
             Not all of us, however, are from the coast. Some of us grew up landlocked surrounded by cornfields and forested mountains. For us, too, chowder has become a favorite dish – one that features the farm-raised meats of our region: chicken and pork.
              Making a successful chowder starts with a good base. I begin with a whole chicken from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. That goes into a Dutch oven with onion, celeriac, a bay leaf and plenty of water. I cook the chicken until it’s done, pull off the meat, and toss the bones back into the pot. I set the meat aside and continue to let the bones simmer until I have an awesome rich stock.
             Pork is a traditional ingredient whether as sliced bacon, slab bacon or salt pork. But it’s not the pork as much as the method that’s important. In an empty pot, cook the bacon slowly at a low temperature and don’t let it burn. While it cooks, scrape up the browned pieces from the bottom of the pot. Those brown scrapings matter: they hold the code to a great chowder – the flavor. Then come vegetables: The standard is cor

 

n, which makes chowder a perfect dish for the corn you might have frozen if you stocked up on the fresh corn available last summer at the farmers’ market. Other vegetables might be diced potatoes or carrots, or perhaps a sprinkle of pea shoots just before serving.
Add the shredded chicken and stir in some heavy cream at the end for a creamy consistency. And there you have it, a rich, chunky, serious cup of chowder.
          Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park; follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.