Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [29]
4 cups diced red potatoes (see savvy)
One 16-ounce package frozen petite white corn, defrosted
1 cup heavy cream
Salt
cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add the onion, celery, and thyme and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften. Add the flour and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the broth and 8 drops of Tabasco, whisking until smooth, and bring the mixture to a boil.
transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and corn. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
at the end of the cooking time, stir in the cream, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt and Tabasco.
serve the chowder hot.
serves 8
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bacon sauté savvy
When sautéing bacon with other ingredients, make sure to render the fat, and cook the bacon until it is just crisp. The addition of vegetables like onions to the sauté will add some water and prevent the bacon from becoming crisp, so make sure it is crisp before adding the vegetables. I usually cook a whole pound of bacon and use the extra for garnish because we all know everything tastes better with bacon!
potato savvy
I will leave the skins on potatoes if they are unblemished and don’t have a greenish tinge. If they do look a bit green, it is from exposure to light and the green tinge should be peeled off because it is a toxin and can give you a tummy ache. Choices for potatoes in this soup would be the waxy varieties: red, Yukon gold, fingerling, or white creamers. Baking potatoes aren’t recommended because they have a tendency to fall apart in soup.
New England Fish Chowder
Filled with potatoes, onion, celery, bacon, and fresh fish, creamy seafood chowders are a staple not only in New England but across America. This fish chowder is a basic slow-cooker recipe for any type of creamy chowder—it’s a matter of substituting more than changing the cooking technique. Fish chowder should be made with a thick-fleshed fish that will not disintegrate in the cooker, such as halibut, sea bass, or cod. Make sure the fish is fresh, not frozen. Frozen fish tends to disintegrate when cooked low and slow. Fish stock can easily be made on your stovetop, but if you don’t have any, a mixture of chicken broth and clam juice also works well. Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon has a clam base as well as a delicious lobster stock that you could certainly use.
8 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice
5 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
1½ pounds thick-fleshed fish, such as sea bass, halibut, haddock, or cod, cut into 2-inch cubes
1½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnishing
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives for garnishing
cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove all but ¼ cup of the bacon drippings from the skillet.
add the onion, celery, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the roux constantly (see savvy). Gradually stir in the broth and clam juice and bring to a boil.
transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
stir in the bacon, fish, and cream. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the fish is cooked through.
remove the bay leaf and serve the chowder garnished with the parsley and chives.
serves 8
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roux savvy
When whisking a roux with vegetables, I use a flat whisk because the veggies don’t get stuck in it. Also, after adding the liquid to the roux, always bring it to