New England-Style Clam Chowder

Last week I had a crazy craving for creamy clam chowder. So mid-snow storm (since I had no food in the apartment) I went out to get the materials. I wanted it to be creamy, but brothy, not glutinous and it turned out pretty much perfect! My tummy was so happy.

Ingredients:
10 large clams, scrubbed
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise in 1/2 inch strips
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay recommended by the ever-helpful Whole Foods "sommeliers")
2 cups heavy cream
3 yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring two cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the clams and and steam, covered, for 10 minutes. When all or most of the clams have opened turn off the heat and let cool. Remove the clams from their shells and chop them. Strain the resulting clam juice, reserving 4 cups (or add water until you get 4 cups).

Meanwhile, fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Discard the fat and drain on a paper towel.

In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute over medium high heat until onion is translucent. Add the thyme and bay leaves and the wine. Simmer until wine is reduced by half. Add the 4 cups of reserved clam broth, heavy cream, potatoes, reserved bacon, and clams. Season with pepper and salt, if necessary.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Discard thyme stems and bay leaves before serving.

If you prefer a thicker chowder, stir in two tablespoons of flour to the cooked vegetables before adding the wine and other liquids.

Protein Power

If anyone is keeping track, so far I am doing pretty well with my New Year's resolutions. Ok, so I didn't exercise in the month of January, but I rolled over my post-Christmas run from December. Close enough. My Starbucks trips have been limited to coffee and biscotti, and the occasional hot chocolate at the end of the day if I've been good and practiced lots.

Last week when it was kind of sunny, I started walking to and from school. I haven't done that since orientation week since there had been construction on the most direct path to school all fall and no way around it really, without adding an extra 20 minutes to my walk. It sounds weak, but walking 4 miles up(and down)hill every day on top of my weekend jog made me incredibly sore. All week I was just hobbling around, gingerly walking up the stairs at school. Until I realized, all this muscle activity meant I probably needed to eat some protein. I usually get by on a mostly vegetable and pasta (and coffee) diet, but without the occasional protein my hard-working muscles couldn't rebuild themselves.

So I practiced my meat cooking skills on that beautiful steak for me and Jacob. And made myself some ham and bean soup from a ham bone my mom sent to me. Instead of using the seasoning packet that comes with that Honey Baked Ham bean soup mix, I just used onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and curry powder. My body immediately thanked me by not being sore anymore. Getting "old" is hard.

Valentine's Gnocchi with Tomato Butter

Ah! I forgot how busy February always is. But Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I am reminiscing about one of my favorite meals of all time. For my first Valentine's Day with Jacob he cooked me a surprise dinner of grilled lamb chops, orzo spinach salad, and red pepper bisque at his house. He lit candles and we listened to a Steve Martin comedy album while we ate. Always a bit of silliness when we're together.

I've been spending the last few weeks preparing for auditions and even got a week-long visit from Jacob. The days have been filled with lot of quick miso meals, and also a bit of culinary experimentation. When Jacob was visiting I made lots of fresh pasta, which was a real treat since he helped me crank the pasta machine (my least favorite part). Before he left I made him homemade gnocchi, since we had both been fantasizing about Gilt Bar's gnocchi since New Year's Eve.

I used Stephanie Izard's recipe for gnocchi from her "Gnocchi in Brown Butter-Caper Sauce" recipe and made my own sauce.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
1 package campari tomatoes, quartered
1 Tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper

Directions:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add the tomatoes and cook down, stirring occasionally, until a creamy sauce forms, about 10-15 minutes. Pull out and discard the tomato skins. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss your cooked and browned gnocchi in the sauce, top with parmesan, and serve.

I originally thought it would be good with marjoram instead of parsley, but I added it too early and my gnocchi kind of ended up tasting like pizza, which was not exactly what I had in mind.

Snack Time

As far back as I can remember, cucumbers have been my favorite snack food. Though usually, I preferred only to eat them in summer, when they're at their best. Sliced in half and salted.

This summer my friend Sam showed me a new way to enjoy them: dipped in miso paste. Now I'm converted. Best snack year round: English/Japanese cucumber, cut into spears, and dipped in miso paste. We'll see what happens when summer comes back around.