Potato and Roasted Chicken Chowder

The quality of your cooked chicken, as well as the stock or broth, can make all of the difference to the flavor of this soup. Starting with a good quality bird (like Hoe Hop Valley Farm's fresh whole hens) will produce the best flavorful meat, and the best tasting stock. You can substitute store bought broth and cooked boneless portions if you are short on time, but taking the time to make your own stock will produce the richest flavors. Also, most chowders and potato soups are prepared with cream and cheese. In this version, the good quality chicken stock and assorted vegetables create a chowder that is rich and flavorful enough to go without the extra fat and calories in the cream and cheese. However, if desired, a little garnish at the end is decadently rich, but not overpowering.

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of cooked Chicken, leftover from a whole roasted hen if possible

2-4 quarts of good Chicken Stock

2-3 lbs of Potatoes (russet, red, etc.)

1 lb Carrots, chopped

1 bulb of Fennel, diced

4 stalks of Celery, chopped

3 Purple Sweet Peppers, diced

2 medium Yellow Onions, diced

1 Tbs Herbs de Provence

Olive or Canola Oil

8 cloves of Garlic, minced

Kosher Salt

freshly ground Black Pepper

1 cup White Wine

Garnish:

Sauteed Kale, (prepared with oil, white balsamic vinegar, and salt)

Heavy Cream (optional)

Shredded White Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Method:

Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. If they release a lot of starch when chopped, rinse under cold water before using in the soup.

In a large stock pot, saute carrots, onions, fennel, peppers and celery with a little oil. When the vegetables begin to sweat, add a teaspoon or so of kosher salt, herbs de Provence, potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until the potatoes and vegetables are soft.

Remove the soup from the heat and puree (not until completely smooth) with an immersion blender until the soup has thickened a little, but still has some texture and chunks of vegetables.

Return the soup to the heat and warm on low. Add the wine, garlic and chicken. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, then simmer for 15 minutes or so.

To serve, stir a small amount of cream and cheese into each portion (if desired), then top with the sauteed kale.

Raw Kale Salad with Spicy Apple Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Curly Kale

Olive Oil

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Kosher Salt

1 bulb of Fennel, shaved or sliced thinly

2 Purple Sweet Peppers, sliced

1/2 Apple, shaved or sliced thinly

toasted Walnuts

Apple Vinaigrette:

1/2 Apple, core removed

1 clove of Garlic

1/2 fresh Yellow Cayenne Chili Pepper, seeds and stem removed (use whole if you like a lot of heat)

1/4 cup Canola Oil

2 Tbs natural Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp of juice from a fresh Lemon

1-2 tsp local Honey

pinch of kosher Salt

dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Wash kale and remove stems and ribs.  Tear the leaves into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice, a couple of pinches of salt, and a few tablespoons of olive oil onto the kale.  Massage the kale until the leaves turn bright green and wilt to your desired tenderness.  The longer you massage, the softer it will become.

For the vinaigrette: Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a high-power blender and puree until smooth.  For lower-power blenders you may need to chop the apple, garlic and chili pepper before blending.

Combine the salad ingredients and toss with salad dressing. Alternately, arrange ingredients on individual plates and drizzle dressing over the top.

Tarte Normande and Apple Custard Tart

Cuisines that define cultures may seem to be a constant in the myriad of changes over time.  There are family and cultural favorite recipes that are passed down for generations, but often substitutions are made based on the availability of ingredients.  This became starkly evident in researching recipes for an apple custard tart.  I recently inherited a couple of my mother-in-law's cookbooks.  The oldest book was Good Cookery By W.G.R. Francillon and G.T.C.D.S.  This book was originally published in 1920, but was revised at the start of the second world war. This reprinted version was from 1948; a time in British history when rationing was at it's most severe level.

Unfortunately, this old volume was not much help in providing a classic apple custard tart recipe, but certainly gave some context to how events like, war, social and economic policy, and resource management can dictate (more that one would expect) what we eat.

The next book on the shelf was The Constance Spry Cookery Book, 1956.  This is a massive volume of post-rationing recipes and cooking techniques that clearly draw on the expertise of classic French and continental European cuisine.   This book was issued to students of the Winkfield Place finishing school and Cordon Bleu Cookery School.  In reading through some of the recipes, it seems to reflect a hopefulness and celebration of better times; a sentiment shared by much of the world in the 1950's.  In addition, it does, most excellently, provide a superb apple custard tart recipe called Tarte Normande.

 Here is an adaptation of Tarte Normande (providing a more specific ingredient list):

Tarte Normande

Adapted From The Constance Spry Cookery Book, 1956

Ingredients:

1 Recipe for short crust pastry

1 lb Fruit (apples, gooseberries, etc.)

1 oz Butter

1 oz Sugar

Cream:

1/2 oz Flour

1 gill of milk or cream (I used approx. 6-8 oz of cream)

1 Egg

1 oz Sugar

2 Tbs (or more) of DOM B&B Liqueur

Method:

Line a 10-inch flan ring (or spring-form tart pan) with pastry. Make sure there are no cracks in the pastry and that the slices of the flan are high.  Peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices, then set aside.

Place the butter in a saucepan with 1 oz of sugar and a tablespoon of the liqueur.  On medium heat, stir the mixture until it becomes bubbly and begins to darken in color. Spread the caramel mixture into the bottom of the pastry. Arrange the apples in a fan pattern inside the pastry.

Whisk together the flour, egg, 1 oz of sugar, cream, and liqueur.  Pour over the apples.  Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the tips of the apples darken, and the custard has risen and just set.

~~~~~

In an effort to compare modern versions, an online search for similar recipes produced a plethora of adaptations.  It would seem that our present culture has not only ready access to ingredients produced throughout the planet, but the privilege to customize recipes to our specific health and dietary needs.  Here is a delicious gluten-free/Dairy-free adaptation which appears to be the most common special-diet trend at this time:

Apple Custard Tart

(gluten and dairy free)

*Crust:

1 1/2-2 cups Almond Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

2-4 Tbs Coconut Oil

1-2 Tbs Honey, Pure Maple Syrup, or Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 Egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix salt into almond flour. Combine wet ingredients in a separate jug or bowl, then mix into the almond flour with a fork.  Add more almond flour, if necessary, to form a dough that is not crumbly and not too sticky.

Divide the dough into four equal parts.  Press evenly into the bottom and sides of four 5-inch tart pans, taking care to not have any holes or parts that are too thin.   Alternately, you can make one larger pie in an 8-inch pie plate or tart pan.

Place the blind crusts in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until they begin to darken in color and are slightly more firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Filling:

2 Apples (about 1 lb)

Juice from 1 lemon

dash of Cloves

dash of Cinnamon

1 large Egg

1/2 cup cold-pressed unsweetened Coconut Milk

2-4 Tbs DOM B&B Liqueur, or similar flavored brandy

1 Tbs Honey, Pure Maple Syrup, or Sugar

Method:

Peel apples, then divide into 8 wedges.  Cut away the core from each wedge, then slice the wedges thinly (about 1/8th of an inch thick). Place the apples in a bowl and gently toss with the lemon juice and spices. Take care to not break the slices.

Place the apple slices into the prepared crusts, arranging them in an overlapping circle around the edge of the tart base. Then lay the slices in a fan pattern, with the tips of the slices going from the center to the edge of the pan. Pour about 1/4 cup of the custard mixture over the apples. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the apples darken on the tips and the custard has risen and just set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove the tarts from the pans and serve warm.

*Thank you to CSA member Oriel Wiggins for sharing this delicious Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free pie crust recipe. 

Smoky Tomato and Sweet Pepper Ketchup

Pottery Courtesy of www.formanpottery.com

Ingredients:

4 Medium tomatoes

4-6 Red Italian sweet peppers

2 Yellow onions

Canola or olive oil

Kosher salt

1 Tbs local honey

1 tsp Apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp Chipotle chili powder

Method:

Remove stems and seeds from red peppers and chop into 1-2 inch pieces.  Remove cores from the tomatoes and slice into wedges.  Peel onions and slice into wedges.  Place peppers, tomatoes and onions on a baking sheet.  Toss with a little oil, then season generously with kosher salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the vegetables are black on the tips and most of the water has evaporated.

Puree the roasted vegetables in a blender with the honey, vinegar and chili powder.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Fire Roasted Peppers

Roasted sweet peppers are a commonly found for sale in jars or cans for about $6/16oz.  Organic roasted peppers can be even more expensive.  Making your own fire-roasted peppers, however, is exceedingly easy and inexpensive.  Preserving is easy by canning them in jars with water and citric acid, or just pack them in freezer-proof containers and freeze portions for the winter. I used a hot barbecue grill for this recipe, but you can hold them over an open flame on your gas range, or on a baking sheet under a broiler.  The main point is to use high heat to blacken and blister the skins of the peppers.  This flavors the meat of the peppers, while also allowing the skins to separate easily for removal.

Here's how:

Heat grill to a high heat (about 550 degrees) Place red, yellow, or orange sweet peppers on the grill, turning to blacken all sides.

Remove from heat and immediately place the peppers in a plastic or paper bag. Alternately you can put them in a bowl with a lid.  Allow the peppers to steam for a few minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, gently rub the skins away from the peppers and discard.  Remove seeds and stems as desired.  Use in recipes, or freeze.  Let cool completely before freezing.