Rainy Day

It's been a rainy day here on the East Coast...that's an understatement. We are in the midst of Hurricane Sandy. Steady rain and gusty winds all day, and expected to continue into tomorrow. But we were determined to look on the bright side and take advantage of a day off from work for catching up on household chores as well as some more relaxing activities. Since we still have power, it seemed like a good day for a nice, hearty soup. So after a bit of brainstorming, I came up with a recipe for a potato chowder.

Unfortunately, I realized too late in the process to take pictures of this soup, but I can tell you the combination of spices and herbs give it a beautiful color, and a good depth of flavor. Here's the recipe if anyone wants to give a try.

Smoky Potato Broccoli Chowder

Time: 1.5 hrs

serves 5

1 lb. bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

1Tbsp chopped fresh garlic chives

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp crushed red pepper (use less or omit if you don't want spicy chowder)

2 cups chicken stock, divided

2 Tbsp. flour

1 10 oz. can condensed cream of potato soup

1 ½ cups milk (adjust for desired thickness)

1. Parboil diced potatoes for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While potatoes are cooking, crisp the bacon in two batches in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Transfer two tablespoons of drippings to medium saucepan. Discard remaining oil.
3. Add potatoes, broccoli, garlic chives, paprika, cumin, red pepper, plus ¼ cup of chicken stock to the pan used for the bacon. Cook over medium-low heat while making the sauce.
4. In the medium saucepan, heat bacon drippings over medium-low heat and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Once combined, slowly add in the remaining chicken stock whisking constantly to keep mixture smooth. Simmer for one minute to cook the flour. Then mix in the cream of potato soup and milk. Add bacon and bring back to a simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add this mixture to the potatoes. Simmer chowder for about 30 minutes, adding extra milk or chicken stock if thinner soup is desired. Serve with crackers or slices of crusty Italian bread.

Recipe inspired by Real Simple Smoky Corn Chowder.

Stephanie