This simple recipe is from the September issue of Saveur magazine, one of my favorite food magazines.  Because it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, it’s one of those dishes where the quality of produce really makes a difference.  In other words, this soup is all about the late summer sweet corn.  Unfortunately, corn in the Mid Atlantic doesn’t compare to Midwestern sweet corn.  If you’ve ever had it, the kernels are plump, juicy, and sweet as candy.  I think it has something to do with the cooler temperatures helping the sugars in the plant develop?  I hear that’s how it works with maple trees… Point being, corn here is not nearly as flavorful.

So, I tried my best with the recipe.  I bought my corn, bacon, herbs, onions, and garlic at the Mt. Pleasant farmers’ market this weekend.  While everything else was great, the corn was small and a little bland.  I had to add some sugar and a fair bit of salt and pepper to punch it up.  If you have great sweet corn at hand, omit the sugar.  Otherwise, with a little doctoring, this makes some pretty tasty corn chowder.

Corn Chowder

Adapted from Saveur magazine

• 4 ears of fresh corn
• 4 strips of bacon, chopped
• 2 1/2 tbsp salted butter
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1/2 a medium white onion, chopped
• 1 small bay leaf
• 3 cups milk (I used 2%)
• 3/4 lb of red potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• kosher salt, sugar, and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp sliced fresh basil for garnish

1.  Shuck corn, removing as much of the silk threads as possible.  Working over a large bowl, slice corn kernels off the cob.  Scrape the knife along the cob to remove all the juices.  Reserve 3 of the cobs and slice in half.  Set aside.

2.  In a large pot or dutch oven, heat bacon over medium heat.  Cook until crisp.  Reserve 1.5 tbsp of bacon for garnish, leaving the rest in the pot.  Add butter, dried basil, garlic, celery, onion, and bay leaf.  Cover and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add corn, cobs, milk, and potatoes.  Cover and bring chowder to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Skim any foam from the surface of the soup with a slotted spoon.  Discard cobs and bay leaf.  Season with salt, sugar, and pepper.

4.  Remove pot from heat.  Using an immersion blender, puree soup to your desired consistency.  (The original recipe calls for pureeing 3/4 cup in the blender.  I got a little enthusiastic with the stick blender and ended up with a thicker chowder.)  Serve with reserved bacon and basil sprinkled on top.

Makes 4 servings.

© Alicia for Kitchen Wench, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bacon, basil, chowder, corn, corn chowder, farmers' market, mt pleasant, soup

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One of my guilty pleasures is buying the occasional issue of Martha Stewart Living. Really, I’m just embracing my future middle-aged woman self… Anyway, the October issue had this big spread about heirloom pumpkins, which come in a rainbow of colors and textures. But I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to find any of these pumpkins because I don’t live in Martha’s Magical Universe, which is populated by heirloom plants, monogrammed towels, antique glassware, and giant Chow Chow dogs.

As it turns out, you can get heirloom pumpkins in D.C.  I found several varieties at the Penn Quarter and Dupont farmers’ markets, including Long Island Cheese pumpkins. I bought a Long Island Cheese because the color and shape was so pretty.  They also happen to be good eating pumpkins, and now that Halloween is over, I decided to cook it.

Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is modified from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s Silky Coconut Pumpkin Soup from their book Hot Sour Salty Sweet.

I used a Long Island Cheese pumpkin that was about 14″ in diameter (probably 5-6 lbs).  To prepare the pumpkin flesh, I cut it into 6 hunks, removed the seeds, and then roasted the slices with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper for about an hour in a 375 degree oven. I then scraped out the flesh and mashed it roughly with a fork.  You can prepare this several days ahead.

• 4 cups mashed pumpkin
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 (13.5 oz) cans light coconut milk
• 4 slices of high-quality bacon
• 1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
• 5 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp sweet curry powder
• 1/2 tsp Thai curry powder
• 1/4 tsp ground tumeric
• 1/4 tsp Thai chili powder (or cayenne powder)
• a couple tsps salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1.  In a dutch oven or other large pot, cook bacon on low heat until very crispy.  Place cooked bacon on paper towels to drain.  Pour off excess fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the pot.

2.  Add onions and shallots.  Cook on medium heat until translucent and softened.  Add garlic and cook another minute or two more.  Stir in mashed pumpkin and cook until pumpkin is heated through.

3.  Add coconut milk, chicken broth, and parsley.  Bring up to a gentle simmer.

4.  Puree soup.   If you have an immersion blender, you can do this right inside the pot.  If you don’t, you should get one, because it will change your life.  Barring that, you can puree the soup in a regular blender.

5.  Add spices, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Gently simmer for 15 minutes or so to allow flavors to meld.  Taste and re-season if needed.   Serve soup with pieces of crumbled bacon on top.

Makes about 4 quarts.

© Alicia for Kitchen Wench, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bacon, coconut milk, curry powder, Halloween, Long Island Cheese, martha stewart living, Pumpkin, pumpkin soup, spiced pumpkin, squash, thai fish sauce, Thai spices

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Buffalo Three Bean Chili

I adapted my version from this recipe and this recipe.

• 4 Vidalia or yellow onions, diced
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 strips of bacon, sliced into 1″ pieces
• 3 lbs ground buffalo
• 2 1/2 lbs sirloin, cut into 1″ cubes
• 3 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste
• 3 (12 oz) bottles of dark beer (I used 1 Porter and 2 Dopplebock)
• 2 cups strong coffee
• 4 1/2 cups of low sodium beef stock or broth
• 4 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Penzy’s regular chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp dried toasted onion
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4 tsp hot sauce, such as Cajun Sunshine or Tabasco
• 6 canned chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce, 4 seeded, 2 with seeds,  diced
• 3 fresh jalapeno chilies, seeded and diced
• 3 dried California chiles (aka dried Anaheim chiles), pureed
• 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
• 2 (15 oz) cans red beans
• 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans

This recipe makes about 10 quarts of chili, so you will either need a really big pot or you can split the recipe between two pots.

1. Prepare the California chile puree.  Remove stems and seeds.  Cut or tear chilies into 1″ pieces and soak in boiling water until soft.  Puree chilies using a food processor or stick blender.  Strain puree through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove any tough pieces of skin.

2. Cook bacon on medium-low heat until the meat is crisp and fat has been rendered.  Remove bacon from pan and allow to drain on paper towels.  Add onions and cook until softened, 10 to 12 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for a few minutes more, until garlic is soft but not browned.

3. If your pot is big enough, add the buffalo and sirloin to the onion mixture.  You may need to add some  vegetable oil to the pan.  If your pot is too small, remove the onions and garlic and then brown the meat in small batches. Once all the meat is browned, add the onions and garlic back to the pan.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, coffee, beer, and beef broth.  Bring up to a simmer then add the spices, sugar, salt, chocolate, and chiles.  Reduce heat to low and add the beans and bacon.  Very gently simmer the chili for 2-4 hours.  For optimum flavor, let chili cool overnight and serve the next day.  If chili becomes too thick, you can thin it with some additional broth or water.

© Alicia for Kitchen Wench, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: anaheim chiles, Bacon, beef, beef stock, buffalo, chili, chipotle chilies, cloves of garlic, dark beer, Dopplebock, ground cayenne pepper, ground coriander, kidney beans, low sodium, pinto beans, sirloin, tomato paste

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Ramen from Rai Rai Ken
Nestled on a quiet street in the East Village,  Rai Rai Ken is a little shoe box of a restaurant. There is an L-shaped bar that seats maybe 12 people, and chefs lowers steaming bowls of ramen over the edge of the counter.  Rai Rai Ken serves miso, shoyu, and curry ramen, along with a handful of other seasonal noodle dishes, appetizers, and yakitori.  This place kind of reminds me of the movie Tampopo and the protagonists’ quest for the perfect broth.  Rai Rai Ken’s is rich and multi-layered, and the egg noodles are fresh and wonderfully chewy.

Rai Rai Ken Japanese Restaurant
214 East 10th St, New York, NY 10003
(212) 477-7030

Chocolate Covered Bacon from Roni-Sue’s
Bacon + Chocolate?  How could we go wrong?  My friends and I saw this on Serious Eats and thought we’d make a stop at the Essex Street Market to give it a try. The first bite is all creamy chocolate, but then as you chew, all the salty, porky, bacon-ness starts to come out.  It’s very strange, fatty, and delicious.  Roni-Sue also make some great truffles.  Big ups on the coconut, pineapple, and toffee flavors.

Roni-Sue’s Chocolates
Essex Street Market #24, 20 Essex Street, New York NY 10002
(212) 260-0421

Korean BBQ at Kum Gang San
My aunt’s friend, a long-time New York resident, gave me two recommendations for Korean food–Kum Gang San and Hanbat.  They are only a few blocks from each other, so I let my friends make the final selection.  They chose based on which restaurant had the dirtier sounding name.  We feasted on grilled galbi, bulgogi, shrimp, vegetables, seafood pajun, and sake, all while being serenaded by a piano/cello duo that performed in this strange rock wall outcropping.  Their kimchi is especially good–so good in fact, that the placemats extol the its health benefits (children love New York kimchi, for it has no offensive smell!). Service was harried, and the restaurant was packed on a Saturday night. Ultimately, you can get Korean BBQ that is just as good, if not better, in the NoVa suburbs for cheaper.  However, it’s a fun place to eat with a group, and it fit perfectly with post-dinner karaoke plans.

Kum Gang San
49 West 32nd Street, New York, NY 10001
(212) 967-0909

Interlude: The Return of KTV
If you’ve ever spent some time in Asia, you’ve hopefully had the pleasure of experiencing KTV.  In Asia, they love karaoke and have these bars where you rent out a private room with your own tv, microphones, and drink service. The whole thing was freakishly reminiscent of the bars I went to in Hong Kong–unmarked building, nondescript elevator that opens up to a metallic, overly air-conditioned maze of rooms, all blasting pop music. I don’t know the name of the bar we went to and I’m not entirely sure I could find it again, but I suspect that 32nd Street between Broadway and Madison is filled with these places.

Uncle Ming’s
This was bar #3 of our Saturday night jaunt, so forgive me if my memory is fuzzy.  (The other bar was really small, crowded, and I can’t remember it’s name.)  Uncle Ming’s is this unmarked second floor bar somewhere in Alphabet City.  The space is dark and a sort of like cavern meets sexy French lounge decor. People make out on these couches by the window.  The bathroom door lock is broken.  The bouncer didn’t card any of us.  Everything was red.  But it was way less crowded than the last bar.

Uncle Ming’s
225 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
(212) 979-8506

Free comedy show at Beauty Bar
This was actually my favorite bar of the whole weekend. It is resplendent with 60s kitch decor, including old salon chairs, bullet-shaped hair dryers, glitter, and beehives. We saw a free comedy show, which started out as truly abysmal and ended up pretty decently, with the last 3 or 4 comics actually being quite funny. The DJ also played some great music (sounded like the Ramones?) and the drinks were cheap, for NY and DC at least ($5 rail drinks). The only downside was that it quickly grew crowded and too loud to talk.

Beauty Bar
231 E 14th St – New York, NY 10003
212-539-1389

A good weekend all around, even though I didn’t make it out to Flushing to sample some bad ass Chinese food. It’s okay. I’ll be back soon. After all, I’m still hungry.

© Alicia for Kitchen Wench, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bacon, bars, East Village, egg noodles, essex street, grilled galbi, japanese food, japanese restaurant, korean bbq, korean food, KTV, kum gang san, labor day weekend, new york, nightlife, nyc, ramen, shoyu, tampopo

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