Monday, October 01, 2007

Chowder and speckled breadsticks...

When I was flipping through my supply of recipes to figure out what to make this week, I found a main dish that would work for tonight, but I didn't know what I wanted to serve with it. I thought about just having a few baked chips (or baked cheetos!) and then I came across these Asiago-Black Pepper Breadsticks that had similar flavors as one of our favorite drop biscuit recipes.

While the original recipe did call for pecorino Romano cheese, I went ahead and used Asiago as we are more often to have that on hand. Just a few ingredients form these long skinny breadsticks - the dry ingredients consist of two types of flour (all-purpose and white whole wheat) that is tossed with grated Asiago, baking powder, coarse black pepper and a pinch of salt. Moistened with just a few tablespoons of water and a drizzle of oil, the dough quickly came together and was ready to be cut and shaped. The original recipe gave a yield of 18 sticks, but there really is not all that much dough to work with, so I would suggest going down to around 14 or so. It would be best to use a light hand when you roll the dough into the skinny sticks - if the dough starts to shrink back at all, set it aside for a couple minutes to give it a chance to relax and try again. They get a little lift and puff from the baking powder while achieving a nice golden color as they baked. They are crisp, without being too dry, and have a nice sharp background from the cheese - they were perfect to dip into tonight's main dish!

Asiago-Black Pepper BreadsticksA few weeks ago, I made a point of going out to the market and getting a few of the last fresh ears of corn from this past summer season to stash in the freezer and use throughout the upcoming colder months. However, if I don't stop at the pace I am going, my supply won't last more than a month or two! After tasting tonight's dinner with a generous 3 1/2 cups of kernels, I would not hesitate to use the rest I have to make this Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon again.

Since the chowder is adorned with crunchy bits of crispy bacon, we softened the onions for this dish in some of the flavor-packed drippings left behind, rather than breaking out additional oil. While this recipe is kept light by using a couple cups of chicken broth for the liquids, you need to give this type of dish some body and richness, which is solved by the addition of milk and half-and-half. If you don't have access to the small fingerlings (they can also be fairly expensive), you could use a waxy red-skinned potatoes as a stand-in. The chowder is pretty chunky and a little on the thin side still by the time the potatoes have become tender, so to add some viscosity, we used an immersion blender to puree just a portion of the mixture. You can also get the same effect by processing a couple cups of the mixture in a blender and then adding it back into the pot. The sweetness of the corn played off well against the chunky potato pieces and smoky bacon - I loved the creamy texture the corn and potatoes added when a portion of them were forced into submission by the immersion blender.

Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon

7 comments:

  1. Since it's still 90 degrees here in Houston, I will have to wait a while to try this recipe, but it looks delicious. Your serving dishes are gorgeous. So glad you are getting settled in. Jancd

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  2. Jancd - yeesh! Still quite warm I guess. It is getting nice and cool here - suppose to be in the upper 50s for highs next week!

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  3. Corn chowder is one of my favorites, and I only make it during fresh corn season (which is just winding down here in New England). The fresh corn makes the chowder so sweet that sometimes a little hot sauce is the perfect balance for it.

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  4. How did you prepare the corn you stashed in the freezer? It's too late for me to do this year, but maybe next year. I love your blog! The recipes you post are very much like my style of cooking.

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  5. Lydia - I wish I would have thought to add that dash of hot sauce... that would have been a great touch!

    Cindy - Usually I just blanch the cobs, shock them and cut the kernels off. I then freeze them on baking sheets all separated and place in zip-loc bags (this way it does not create big clumps).

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  6. Made this last night, we've finally gotten rain here in Virginia, and it was a great night for soup. Had to use Yukon gold potatoes and doubled the recipe for leftovers. Really quick and easy.

    Thanks, Anne

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  7. Ladysmithknitter - Thanks for the feedback! I'm happy to hear you liked it!

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