HOW TO MAKE A CHOWDER
Chowder is a soup traditionally made of fish or shellfish, and it can also include pork or potatoes, to mention but a few chowder making possibilities. The name chowder comes from the French word chaudiere, which literally is a pot for soup making that the fishermen used. Chowders don't need to be made of seafood, and nowadays a soup that is thick and chunky enough can be called a chowder. You can therefore make a chowder purely of vegetables, as long as you chop them into smaller chunky pieces. However, the real power of a nice chowder is still within the seafood - a clam chowder or mussel chowder is a very good soup that can be served as a perfect appetizer for a fish main course. Of course, chowders can also be eaten on their own if there is enough in the bowl to quench the hunger.
Besides the main flavoring ingredient in the chowder, you also need a good suitable stock to complement and to base the soup on. Don't use any stock cubes - make your own stocks. Home-made stocks are so easy to make and they taste so much better it is a wonder why people are still using the commercial weird-looking blocks of salty material. To choose a stock, just fit it with the flavor of the main ingredient. If you make the classical seafood chowder then make a stock from the leftovers of the trimmings of the fish or shellfish. If you use mussels or clams, make the stock from the liquid in which you cook the mussels to get them opened (remove and save the meat and use the shells to continue making the stock).
Chowders also need some thickeners for the fuller bodied texture. You can either use flour or some starchy vegetables like potatoes or corn. Normally, the flour and/or other thickeners are cooked together with the aromatic vegetables and/or pork, and then the stock is poured over it and the chowder is completed. This procedure requires some good amount of fat because a large part of it will be bound up by the flour, and you still need the fat to cook the vegetables.
In addition, for finishing you can also use some cream and garnishes. Just make sure that all the liquids are up to simmering point before you mix them with each other.
A basic recipe for 1 liter/1 quart of chowder:
500 g/17 oz of seafood or vegetables that will be the main flavoring ingredient
1 liter/1 quart of stock, either pre-made or fresh
1 tbsp of flour or 3 potatoes as thickening agents
seasoning (salt, pepper, bouquet garni)
garnishing - cream, bacon, herbs, finely diced main ingredient, etc.
1. Cook the aromatic vegetables in some fat in a moderately hot pot. If you cook mussels or clams or other shellfish, cook them as they should be cooked and use the cooking liquid as a stock source. Remove the meat when it's cooked.
2. Add the flour and stir to finely distribute it. Start adding the stock while stirring so no lumps are formed. Bring to a simmer and let all ingredients cook through. Add the bouquet garni at the end of cooking. Altogether, it may take about an hour to get to the point of fully developed flavor and thickness.
3. Finish the soup by adding the seasoning and garnishing agents.