JAZZ AGE II

JAZZ AGE FOOD II

Today is all about soup. Soup usually starts meals so it’s a very good place to start.

Of course these soups are served in the Nate Walker mysteries. Let’s start with:

French Onion Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 1/2 lbs. yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced

1 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

8 cups beef stock

2 tsp. minced fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 crusty baguette

2 2/3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a large, heavy sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, stir well, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and deep golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until combined. Gradually stir in the wine, then the stock, and finally the thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, until slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, preheat a broiler. Have ready eight 1 1/2-cup broilerproof soup crocks. Cut the baguette into 16 slices, sizing them so that 2 slices will fit inside each crock. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and broil, turning once, until lightly toasted on both sides, about 1 minute total. Set the slices aside. Position the oven rack about 12 inches from the heat source, and leave the broiler on.

Ladle the hot soup into the crocks. Place 2 toasted bread slices, overlapping if necessary, on top of the soup and sprinkle each crock evenly with about 1/3 cup of the Gruyère. Broil until the cheese is bubbling, about 2 minutes. Serve at once. Serves 8.

Now my main character is from New England. Nate Walker is from Boston, Massachusetts so the next two soups reflect that New England flavor.

New England Clam Chowder (From Taste of Home)

Ingredients

4 center-cut bacon strips
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup water
1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice
3 teaspoons reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free half-and-half, divided
2 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) chopped clams, undrained

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

Clam Chowder Tips

What is New England clam chowder?

New England clam chowder normally contains clams, potatoes, onions, salted pork and milk or cream. The addition of dairy is considered the biggest difference from other chowders. New England clam chowder is a classic American staple, first eaten by settlers as early as the 1700s.

This next soup is also called clear broth clam chowder…

Connecticut Clear-Broth Clam Chowder

This clear-broth clam chowder, which doesn't utilize milk, is referred to as “Connecticut Chowder” in the old recipe books.

BY AMY NAWROCKI AND ERIC D. LEHMAN /

SERVINGS: 8 – 10 SERVING(S)

INGREDIENTS

6-8 ounces salt pork, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large leek, white and pale green parts, sliced
4 cups clam broth
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 cups quahog clams (chopped) and/or whole littlenecks
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
½-1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh parsley
Preparation

Cook salt pork in a large pot over medium heat, rendering fat. Drain, reserving cracklings and enough drippings to cook onion, celery, and leek until soft.

Add clam juice and water, potatoes, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add clams and fresh thyme, and cook until thickened, at least 15 minutes; the longer the better. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Take out the bay leaf and season with Tabasco, lemon juice, and pepper. Serve with cracklings and sprinkled parsley. The potato starches will thicken the broth sufficiently, and leeks chopped into half-moons add substance and color. Quahogs are the traditional clam choice. We added whole littlenecks for texture, appearance, and sweetness.

Serves 8-10

Here is another version of Clear Broth Clam Chowder.

This one from Rhode Island

Rhode Island Clam Chowder

By Sam Sifton N Y Times

Yield:8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

24 medium-size quahog clams, usually rated ‘‘top neck’’ or ‘‘cherrystone,’’ rinsed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ pound slab bacon or salt pork, diced
1 large Spanish onion, diced
2 large ribs celery, cleaned and diced
12 red bliss potatoes, cubed
½ cup dry white wine
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley.

PREPARATION

Step 1 Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set those aside as well.
Step 2 Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add the bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
Step 3 Add onions and celery to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add 4 cups of clam broth, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
Step 4 Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 5 Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits that are about the size of the bacon dice.
Step 6 When the potatoes are tender, stir in the chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let the chowder come just to a simmer, and remove from heat. Fish out the thyme and bay leaf, and discard.
Step 7 The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.