Chowder for the Soul.

“Ishmael and Queequeg arrive on Nantucket Island… They make their way to the Try Pots restaurant, where the proprietor’s wife, Mrs. Hussey, seats them at a table…then asks them but a single question: “Clam or Cod?”

Ishmael is perplexed…

Only when Ishmael detects “a warm savory steam from the kitchen,” and only when two bowls are subsequently placed before them, is the mystery resolved. Chowder. Clam chowder. And what a chowder it turns out to be.”

Chowder, Chapter15 of Moby-Dick.

Chowder originated almost 300 years ago as a simple, hearty shipboard stew made by fishermen and sailors from France and England. The word itself can be traced back to the French word, chaudière, which refers to a large cauldron or cooking pot used to make stews.  But looking further back in time, chaudière traces back to the Latin word calderia, meaning a place for warming things or a cooking vessel.  Just throwing a little word history at you there.

But how did chowder make it to North America’s cooking pots and soup bowls? 

While At Sea: Breton and Newfoundland fishermen and sailors combined their daily catch with salt pork, onions, and hardtack (hard ship biscuits) in a shared pot.

North America: Immigrants brought the dish to coastal North America, Nova Scotia, and New England, where it adapted to local ingredients like abundant clams and potatoes.

Early Records: An 18th-century journal by botanist Joseph Banks describes a 1766 Labrador fishery chowder, and the first American fish chowder recipe appeared in a Boston newspaper in 1751.

The two chowders we have mostly heard about, perhaps even eaten, are:

New England Clam Chowder:  Made with chopped clams, diced potatoes, onions, and salt pork or bacon in a thick, creamy milk or cream base.  Potatoes took the place of hardtack biscuits.  Yay!

Manhattan Clam Chowder: A tomato-based version that replaces milk and cream with a clear, tangy red broth and includes vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions, but no potatoes.

There are other types of clam chowders primarily geared towards the east coast states of Florida, Delaware and Rhode Island.  They mainly use clear broth instead of a cream base, and the Florida version makes it “muy caliente” with datil peppers.

So, when did basic chowder begin incorporating a larger variety of ingredients, not just clams?

During the 1700s to 1800s and immigration from Europe to the new land, North America, and the newly created United States.  On the east coast, a variety of seafoods could be fished or captured, and made a very delicious addition to the cooking pots.  As settlers moved inland, chicken replaced seafood, and newly grown crops of corn and bell peppers could be added to the potatoes and onions.  Down in the southern states, a fish boil replaced chowder.  While chowder is served in a bowl, the ingredients swimming in a liquid, a fish boil drains away the cooking water. The solid pieces of fish and potatoes are removed from the pot and served dry on a plate, typically slathered in melted butter.

“Alright, thanks for the history lessons”, you’re muttering to yourselves, but why the title, why is chowder good for the soul?

Chowder is good for the soul because its thick, warm, and creamy texture triggers deep emotional comfort, psychological safety, and happy memories of home.  The sight, taste, and scent of foods trigger the brain, and, hopefully, good feelings and memories accompany the meal.  There is a sense of belonging whether to a family, group of friends, or any type of loving relationship; feeling lonely eases away.

Eating a hot soup makes you slow down; holding the bowl with a dish towel, blowing on a spoonful to relieve the temperature that will make it just right to eat.  Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, eat it just right, relieve stress, and get ready for a nice soothing nap.  But you don’t want that soup to get too cool, the heat is what is telling your brain, “You’re safe and being cared for, relax, breathe, enjoy the moment.”

…and for the future, when you need that safe, relaxing meal, here’s my recipe for Seafood Chowder.  I used imitation crab meat which is actually a firm white fish made to look like crab, but if I could get my hands on real lump crab meat…sighs with contentment.

 

By the way, a huge “Thank You!” goes out to Shylowe and Patrick Chadd, of The Over Bite, of Monticello.  I called in a hot-minute bread order of items I believed would go great with the chowder.  Croissant Sourdough Bread Loaf, Sourdough Bread Bowls and Corn Muffins, and they were quickly baked up and perfect accompaniments, as I had so believed.  Then there were the very last-minute sandwiches ordered when I went there; Gooseneck Grinder and Comb Ridge Club…so good!  So, need a special order of breads, muffins, other baked goods, or sandwiches, give The Over Bite a call.

Left to Right: Croissant Sourdough Loaf, Sourdough Bread Bowls, Corn Muffins from The Over Bite, Monticello, UT.

 

 

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 small onion, diced

½ cup diced red bell peppers

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

4 cups diced, peeled potatoes  

2 cups whole kernel corn (frozen or canned that has been drained and rinsed)

2 and ½ cups water or seafood stock

1 and ½ lbs. medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. bay scallops (cut in half if using sea scallops)

2 cups imitation crab meat, flaked, cut in half if very large pieces (or real lump crab meat if available)

2 cups half & half  

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. flour

 

Preparation:

 

 

Melt the butter in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and minced garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes until softened. 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

Increase heat to high; add the diced potatoes, corn and water (or stock) to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat back to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.

 

 

 

 

 

Add the shrimp and scallops to the pot. Cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and the scallops are opaque. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the shrimp and scallops are cooking, whisk together the half & half, salt, pepper, paprika and flour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add imitation (or real) crab meat. Reduce heat to low, gently stir whisked mixture into pot.  Let mixture simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until hot, but do not let it boil after adding the dairy.

 

 

 

 

Seafood Chowder

 

Can the chowder be frozen even though it has dairy mixed in?  Yes, use freezer safe containers, leaving a 2-inch gap from the lid.  Label with date and can be stored for up to 3 months.

To reheat frozen chowder, thaw completely in the refrigerator.  Place the soup into a stove top pot, and let it heat up on low and slow, stirring occasionally, until hot.  Do Not bring to a boil on high heat, nor use a microwave, as this will break apart the dairy and cause it to curdle.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

Ghosts of Theatres Past.

 

Young's Theater

 

Opera House - Monticello Memories Calendar - 1988

 

 The Opera House aka Young’s Theatre has a history rich in entertainment.  Originally built in 1907, it was a community center for Monticellians to play basketball, put on plays, hold dances or watch movies (silent ones of course).  In 1918, a severe snowstorm dumped so much upon the building’s roof, it completely collapsed.  Along came Alfred Young, who built a new building, in a different location, and called it Young’s Theatre. Naming things after one’s self is definitely a way to be remembered.

The Theatre remained opened until 1931, and then was purchased by…, San Juan Record, May 10, 1934, page 5, “Marie M. Ogden last week purchased the Young show hall, a well-known building which has been idle for two or three years. It is expected that a community house will be made, that is, it will be converted into a place for her people to stop for rest while considering their future activities in this county.” 

However, in 1935, the controversy over the death of Home of Truth member, Edith Peshak, forced Marie Ogden to close the theatre, and it has remained closed since that time.  While the Monticello Community Foundation made many attempts to obtain funding, to renovate and save the building, it, sadly didn’t happen.  Now it is scheduled to be demolished as the San Juan County Public Safety Building Expansion Project plans to remodel and expand the existing facility, which houses the Sheriff's Department, courts, and corrections.

However, entertainment was not lost to the citizens of Monticello.  Mr. and Mrs. Claude Foy opened their first movie theatre, on Main Street, June 15, 1936. Then, in 1939, they opened a larger 120-seat theatre, located in the Moab Garage warehouse, which Mr. Foy also managed.   The first movie featured was “Young Mr. Lincoln”, with Henry Fonda. The seating was eventually increased to 225, and in 1953, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Randall bought the theatre, but alas, it too closed down.

 

The Little Theater - Cinema Treasures (https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/67616)

 

 

Personal story time!  Bill Boyle, editor of the San Juan Record, related, to yours truly, a story about his mother.  During the 1930s, she would go to the theatre daily, and with leading actors such as Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Montgomery and Errol Flynn…hubba hubba, someone get me some cold water please!

In 2015, the San Juan Record’s editor hosted a haunted hayride, The Monticello Ghost Tour, and related ghostly stories of various buildings around the city.  This was one of the best events for Pioneer Weekend, so Bill, please bring it back, I’m begging you!!!  Anyway, the San Juan Credit Union, in 2015, was the former location of the movie theatre; the rooms over the San Juan Pharmacy (now Main Street Drug) were used for storage for the theatre.  Monticello was making headlines all over the United States when an armed gunman was noticed in the upper window.  A young police officer, Kent Adair (Monticello's long time Chief of Police for 34 years) deftly disarmed the culprit with an expert karate chop.  Only to find out he had knocked off the arm of "Rambo", a large cardboard display of Sylvester Stallone; Kent's call in to other officers..."The suspect has been disarmed."  

 

If you’re interested in seeing what The Monticello Ghost Tour was all about, go to my travel blog posting at: https://www.southwestbrowneyes.com/2015/08/hayriding-to-meet-ghosts-of-monticello.html

Now, after all that researching to find details and photos of the old theatres, I am hungry!  How about a comforting plate of creamed chicken over country biscuits?  The best part about this recipe is that you can make this dish over and over, but with different flavor enhancements.  This is a semi-homemade recipe, so using “cream of …” soups for the sauce making.  Two cans (10.75 oz.) of cream of chicken gives that downhome chicken taste that is so satisfying.  Use one can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of celery or cream of potato, you’ve got pot pie.  For a more savory taste, one can of cream of chicken plus one can of cream of mushroom; and adding some sliced mushrooms into the mesh won’t hurt either.  By the way, I boiled the chicken breasts, in salted water, over medium-high heat, about 20 minutes, and then diced it up.

 

Creamed Chicken

 

Ingredients:

1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of (see variations above)

1 cup half n’ half

1 (12 oz.) bag frozen peas, thawed and drained

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or diced

Preparation:

In a saucepan or large skillet, over medium-high heat, combine contents of the soup(s) plus half n’ half, and whisk until smooth.

 

Two chicken breasts, boiled in salted water, then diced.

 

Add in peas, black pepper and chicken; stir and let cook until bubbles begin to form around interior wall of pan.

 

Serve immediately over biscuits, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Makes 6 servings.

So, put on a movie, and enjoy a bowl full of creamed chicken.  Um, don’t watch a very scary movie though, don’t want you throwing that bowl of food up in the air.

Mary Cokenour 

 

A Round and Crusty Old Soul.

Many a time I have written about a world renown comfort food called bread.  Every culture, every country, has a version that dates back historically to when grains were grown, ground and used to feed the community.  So, yes, it is a foundation for the continuance of a society, as is water, but why is it so comforting as well?

Scientifically, bread has a high carbohydrate content which contributes to the release of serotonin.  Serotonin is nicknamed the “feel good hormone” due its ability to regulate mood; namely feelings of happiness, well-being, and contentment.  It also promotes relaxation to induce sleepiness; interacts with cortisol and estrogen for hormonal balance, and influences cognitive functions for better learning and memory.

Remember when, at dinner time, a bread basket was always at the table.  Or, a basket of bread, crackers and butter was served at the table in restaurants.  Serotonin signals, to the body, when it is full, and helps to regulate digestion.  If you indulged the contents of that basket, now you know why you never did finish a complete dinner, and no room for dessert.

Serotonin, and the act of eating, is not all that makes bread comforting.   Baking bread can be therapeutic with its repetitive motions (kneading) which can relieve stress. Baking engages multiple senses of sight, smell, and touch. The aroma is associated with familiarity, tradition, gives a sense of security, and makes you feel pretty darned proud of yourself for creating something so tasty.

The focus of this article will be on Irish Soda Bread, but first a little information about round and crusty breads in general.  A "round, crusty bread" refers to a loaf shaped like a ball with a thick, crispy outer crust achieved through high baking temperatures and steam during the initial baking phase. While the crust of the bread has a firm crunch, the interior is an intricate webbing of ingredients that have been interwoven to create a softer and tender texture.

 

Types of rounds are the French Boule, Italian Ciabatta, Egyptian Sourdough (sorry San Francisco, but sourdough bread originated, in Egypt, around 1500 BCE), Irish Soda Bread and Basque (Spain) Sheepherder Bread (see San Juan Record, November 20, 2019, for full article).

…and now to my focus, Irish Soda Bread.

 

Irish soda bread is a quick bread made with baking soda, flour, salt, and buttermilk; no eggs needed. It is a traditional part of Irish cuisine that is often baked in skillets over coals.  Preparation is a one bowl mix, shaping the wet dough into a ball, placed in baking pan, and first baked at a high temperature, then finished off at a lower, yet still high, temperature.  This bread was created out of necessity due to the Irish Potato Famine of the 1800s.  Now here is a very interesting historical tidbit, this bread did not originate in Ireland, but from the Native Americans of the United States of America.  The natives used pearl ash which is a naturally formed “soda” from wood ashes, and acted as the leavening agent.  Their technique and recipe made it back to the Old-World countries, with actual sodium bicarbonate used instead of wood ash.  Sour milk was the liquid ingredient, but was later changed to buttermilk. Buttermilk reacts better with the soda to give an even rise, soft interior texture, and a tangy flavor to the bread.

Eaten plain, Irish soda bread is just that.  However, warmed up, smeared with butter and drizzled with honey, it becomes a perfect light breakfast, or snack for during the day.  It is best used for sopping up gravy and sauce from various dishes, such as stews, chili, and soups.  We even used it to sop up excess sauce from a stuffed shells meal, delicioso!

So, with St. Patrick’s Day coming soon, perhaps a round, crusty Irish soda bread to go along with the Irish stew, or corned beef and cabbage?

 

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

3 and ½ cups flour

1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450F. 

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Gradually add the buttermilk, stirring with rubber spatula.  If dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour.

When dough is still wet, but not sticky, turn out onto a floured workspace. Shape dough into a ball.  Pat the ball in a round loaf to fit into a nonstick 9-inch baking pan. Place dough inside pan, but make sure it does not touch the sides of the pan.  Score an X on top of the loaf, approximately 1/4 inch deep.

   

Bake on center rack of oven for 20 minutes.  Do not remove pan from oven, but turn oven temperature down to 400F.  Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  Cool on wire rack before slicing and serving.

Makes one round loaf.

Mary Cokenour

 

The Chicken Who Would Be King.

A number of times I have heard someone refer to my research techniques as being part ferret and part pitbull.  I believe I have always been like this, even as a child, being interested in a subject and wanting to know more and more about it.  Even now, my bookcases are filled with all kinds of books on the Four Corners states.  When writing my travel blog, I like to give accurate and historical insight to places we have visited.  Cookbooks?  I have one bookcase full of cuisines from all over the world.  With the knowledge available via the internet, I can dig up, and latch onto, more information than I know what to do with.  Gaining knowledge is like learning the tricks of a magician; something up my sleeve as you are distracted by another recipe to try.

So, as I began researching this newest interest in a chicken recipe, the information I found simply kept expanding.  Why?  Seems that from 1665 to 1972, someone, in some country was trying to take credit for its creation.  I cannot understand why myself as, no matter how fancy the added ingredients got, it still reminded me of one thing…Sh*t on a Shingle.  Yes, I consider this recipe the poultry version of Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast, just with some fancy veggies added in, maybe a drop of sherry or two.

While I attended university, this was a comfort food for me, along with shepherd’s pie, pizza and the greasier the cheeseburger, the better.  Ramen?  No, no, did not eat that dried out stuff when one could go to New York City’s Chinatown, and for five dollars buy enough food and eggrolls to last three days.  Try doing that now!

The name of the dish being referred to is Chicken A La King; small pieces of chicken and vegetables simmered in a thick cream sauce.  While some like to eat it over rice or egg noodles, toast cut into triangles is the more popular fashion.  It can be made from scratch, or semi-homemade using canned chicken, mushrooms and frozen vegetables; semi-homemade is quicker or course.

Back in 1665, the name of the dish was A La Royale, developed in France and served to royalty and aristocracy.  Even though it was mentioned in several cookbooks, no real written recipe ever appeared.  In the 1880s, Delmonico’s of New York City called it A La Keene, after Foxhall Keene who was an Olympic Gold Medalist in the sport of Polo.  But the Claridge Hotel of London claimed they named it A La Keene after Foxhall’s father, James, who was a famous horse breeder.  Sounds like a bit of father-son rivalry going on there.  The name change to A La King began in the late 1890s when the Brighton Beach Hotel, Brooklyn, NY, named the dish after their most popular patrons, E. Clarke King and his wife.  However, the Bellevue Hotel, Philadelphia, claimed it was created by hotel cook William "Bill" King.  When he died in 1915, his obituary stated that while he had no real claim to fame, his inspired recipe for Chicken A La King would be a testament to his cooking genius.  In 1972, James Beard inserted the recipe in his cookbook, American Cookery, called it Chicken A La King, and along with the chicken added mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion, and pimiento in a cream sauce with sherry.   …and that was that!

Now to ferret out an original recipe, and I am blown away how difficult that was. References to James Beard’s recipe was plentiful, but not available to look at unless the cookbook was purchased.  How rude!  I also found references to the same recipe on food blogs, but when looked for, surprise, no longer available for viewing.  How strange!  Then there were the celebrity, home cooks, food bloggers, etc. that claimed they were using an original recipe, but with a twist…the addition of peas.  No, No, No Peas!  Egads, just because Paula Dean loves butter and peas, does not mean you have to add them into every recipe.

This recipe is as close to original as I could come up with, and never got any complaints.

 

Chicken A La King

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter

8 oz. white or crimini mushrooms, rough chopped

½ cup diced green bell pepper (or mix with red and yellow bell pepper for more color)

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp. sherry wine (never use cooking wine, that stuff is full of salt!)

¼ cup diced pimentos

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

Preparation:

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms, bell pepper and onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

  

Add in flour and stir until well incorporated in the vegetables. Pour in chicken broth, cream and sherry; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in pimientos and chicken; let cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until all ingredients become evenly hot.

   

 

 

Serve over cooked rice, egg noodles, toast, or biscuits.

Makes 6 servings.

 

To create a semi-homemade version of this recipe, use canned mushrooms and canned all-white meat chicken; drain the liquid for both, and chop up the mushrooms.  For the peppers and onions, I always have a frozen bag of the stir-fry ready variety, so a quick defrost and dice them up.  Simply follow the directions for the rest, and if you do not have pimentos, this dish has so much flavor, you will not miss them.

Mary Cokenour