With the change of weather, as we slide more into Fall my body starts to crave for soup again. When your body talks to you you listen, right?! So soup is what I made almost every dinner for the last couple of days.
This evening Salmon and Cod Chowder took the stage.
When I cook, I find myself more inclined to improvising as it gives me the chance to be creative and playful. Most of the time though I veer off the recipe just with the bare intention of using the odd bits and pieces in my fridge or to add extra nutrition to the dish. So I added kale stems and yam to the chowder today. I am glad that I had the chance to use up some of the kale stems that I keep in my freezer.
Now I have a wee more space available in the freezer (freezer talk is so much fun, but not for today) I also enjoy the bright color of yam in creamy soups, so in went the yam. I added a dash of cayenne pepper, not to make the soup spicy but to balance the flavor out. Just a dash. When I look at the whole picture now, I can see that I’ve just added several extra ingredients. Nothing much, right? Not a full, head on improvisation! Still I feel like a hero
Although I didn’t fancy it up today, I enjoy playing with the appearance of a dish too. Garnish is the final touch that you add to your plate. They are like the signatures on artworks or punctuation marks that you put at the end of your sentences. With every garnish that I put on the plate I feel like the dish transforms itself and becomes anew and unique. Even the humble chowder… If you want to give it a shot, try any chowder recipe with either chopped dill, tarragon, or chives, toasted fennel seeds, infused cayenne oil or with just a drop of lemon oil along with some lemon zest…
You had already? Then you know…
Well this has been more like a kitchen talk for me rather than a post around a recipe. But don’t worry I’ll share the recipe for sure.
Shall we start?
Salmon and Cod Chowder
A classic chowder enhanced in nutrition with kale and yams
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 Celery stalks, diced
- 4-5 Kale stems, chopped small
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Medium potatoes, diced (Yukon gold or russet)
- 1 cup Yam, diced
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 ½ cups Water
- 2 ½ cups Stock (fish, shrimp or chicken) or clam juice
- ½ cups Corn frozen or fresh (optional)
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1 ½ lb (~650 g) Salmon and Cod, 1 inch cubes
- ½ tsp Lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A pinch of cayenne
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions, kale stems, celery stalks to the pot and cook stirring, until translucent and softened about 5-6 minutes.
- Step 2 Stir in the flour and cook it for about to minutes.
- Step 3 Add diced potatoes, minced garlic, stock, water, salt and pepper, bay leaf to the pot. Increase heat to bring to a simmer. The lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Step 4 When the potatoes are cooked add the seafood and salmon and let them cook for until they are cooked slightly, about 5-6 minutes *. Stir in cubed yams and corns if using.
- Step 5 Add cayenne, cream and lemon zest, then continue to cook until you get back to a gentle simmer. Adjust the seasoning
- Step 6 Garnish with chives, dill, parsley or tarragon. Serve hot.
