For the last couple of months my workload has decreased significantly. At first that felt really jarring but, easing into the drudgery of mid-winter, its starting to feel like a gift. A gift of time. Time to make art with my children. Time to walk the dog and organize the closets. Time to cook things that require labor and patience (things like Seafood Chowder), knowing it will pay off sevenfold in taste.
Throughout most of 2015, I moved at a such frantic pace trying to balance consulting projects, parenting responsibilities and life in general. Playtime with the kids often felt like another box to check. Cooking anything that wasn’t a paid job or or a required family meal was a luxury.
But now, I have time. Not giant swaths of it of course. I still have two small children to keep alive and entertained. But time nonetheless. And this time couldn’t have come at a better time, for lack of another word. Lillian starts full-day kindergarten in the fall and will be out of my care for the better part of the day. Max is in the final months of his babyhood, fast embracing potty-training and starting playschool in the fall. Their early years are in twilight now and I am grateful for the chance to bask in the final glow.
I’m also grateful for an opportunity to reconnect with food in a way that had started to fall by the wayside. In the last few years, cooking has become part of my job, whether its for a client project or just part of being a mom. Rarely have I had the chance to cook something amazing just because I felt like it. I’ve started to miss it.
So, this week, I made Seafood Chowder. Chowder in and of itself is not a difficult dish. Its a quick meal as far as soups are concerned. But the key to a good seafood chowder is the stock. And seafood stock takes time. Time to peel and devein and chop and simmer. Its a bit labor intensive but completely key to the final dish.
On Monday, looking at the dreary, snowy day and then in my freezer for ideas, I realized I had the ingredients and, for once, the time for seafood stock. I spent an hour peeling and deveining wild caught shrimp. Lillian watched me and we had a discussion about how even inedible things like shells and bones can be used to make wonderful stock. I spent an hour cooking the shells with aromatics and herbs, creating the most amazing, flavorful broth. I spent another hour stirring that broth into sautéed veggies and gorgeous, amazing seafood. The result was a rich, flavorful, warm, hearty. light, perfect bowl of wonderful.
It started snowing outside just as I was ladling this soup into bowls, paired with a green salad and warm, crusty bread. JT and I sat in front of the fire, slurping soup and mopping the bowls with bread. It was such a cozy, delicious, relaxed moment. It made me so happy I’d taken the time that afternoon, and even more grateful that I’d had the time in the first place.
Its cold my friends. Make soup. Be warm. Carry on.
Seafood Chowder
Makes 2 – 3 quarts
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve shells for stock)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups potatoes, diced
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons butter
1 quart seafood stock (recipe below)
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1 pound scallops, chopped
1/4 pound cod filet, diced in to bite-sized pieces
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons parsley
Tabasco sauce (optional)
- In a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and potatoes and cook until the potatoes are starting to soften, about 15 minutes. Add butter and flour and cook for about 1 minute, until the mixture forms a thick paste.
- Slowing incorporate the seafood stock, using a whisk to prevent flour from creating lumps. Add corn kernels. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add shrimp, scallops and cod and simmer for another 7 to 10 minutes until fish is just cooked. Remove from heat and add heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with parley and a few drops of Tabasco sauce (if desired) before serving.
Seafood Stock
Makes 1 quart
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Shells from 1 lb shrimp
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup white wine
5 sprigs thyme
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot to medium heat. Add shrimp shells, carrots and onion and sauté for 15 minutes until browned. Add garlic, tomato paste and Old Bay and cook for another 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook for a minute more. Add 8 cups water and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil.
- When mixture boils, reduce heat to low and simmer for one hour. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing solids. Discard solids and reserve stock for chowder or freeze for another use.
