Hello, everyone ♥
I apologize for my short absence; I've
been feeling quite under the weather lately,
so I never got the chance to make my weekly
B&B Friday post... do forgive me! I assure
you that I'll make up for it this coming Friday.
In other news, I've been looking through my
newest New England cookbook, and thought I'd
share with you a couple recipes (they sounded so
delicious, it'd be cruel to keep them to myself!)
Vineyard Clam Chowder
- 1 quart shucked steamer clams, including their liquor
- 1/4 pound salt pork, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 medium onions, chopped medium fine
- 4 medium potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch dice (about 3 cups)
- 4 cups rich milk (or half milk, half evaporated milk)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Lift clams out of their liquor; this helps somewhat to drain off the sand. (Some cooks rinse the clams briefly in running water.) Strain the clam liquor through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a clean dish towel; set aside. Separate the firm parts of the clams from the bellies, or soft parts. Cut away the black portion of the necks, if desired. Coarsely chop only the firm part, or put through the coarse blade of a food chopper. Set aside the clams, keeping separate the firm and soft parts.
In a heavy kettle or Dutch oven cook diced salt pork over moderate heat until crisp and golden. Remove the dice, drain on a paper towel, and set aside. To the fat in the kettle add the chopped onions; cook slowly until tender and transparent. Add the diced potatoes, the strained clam liquor, and sufficient water to rise about 1 inch above the potatoes. Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, but don't overcook them. Add the chopped firm parts of the clams; simmer a little longer-- about 5 minutes. Add the soft parts of the clams and the reserved salt-pork bits; cook 5 minutes longer.
In a saucepan heat the milk with the butter over moderate heat; it must not boil. Add to the chowder kettle. Add salt to taste and the black pepper. (Salt may not be needed; if the clams are very fresh they contribute considerable saltiness; so, too, the salt pork.) Remove kettle from heat immediately and allow chowder to "ripen" at least an hour or two.
Reheat, uncovered, on low heat until the mixture begins to steam. It must not boil or it will curdle. Remove from heat and serve immediately. The use of a double boiler is recommended; set the top of the double boiler over, not in, boiling water. Serve the chowder in heated bowls.
Optional: Vineyard cooks rarely thicken their chowders, thinking, with culinary justification, that the potatoes will bind the mixture sufficiently. If, however, you wish a thickened chowder, blend 3 tablespoons softened butter with 3 tablespoons flour; stir this mixture gradually into the chowder kettle several minutes before the heated milk is added. Stir over very slow heat until chowder thickens slightly. Do not allow it to boil or the mixture will curdle. If this happens, drain off the liquids and blend them in an electric blender 5 to 10 seconds. The result: a fully reconstituted mixture.
Note: Common crackers are traditionally served with chowders, usually split and soaked in milk, then added to each bowl of chowder. Toasted, they make a good accompaniment, too. Legend has it that these crackers were first made in Massachusetts one hundred or more years ago by Artemus Kennedy, who baked them on the floor of a brick oven, then peddled them on horseback, using his saddlebags as containers. Today's efficient methods of preparation and transportation make them available in any good grocery store.
Makes 8 to 10 portions
Baked Stuffed Lobster
(A Martha's Vineyard Version)
- 4 live lobsters, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds each
- 24 Ritz crackers
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup pale dry sherry
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound uncooked bay scallops, shrimp, or crabmeat, chopped
- Lemon wedges
- Parsley sprigs
Preheat oven to 450
° F.Prepare each lobster for stuffing by placing it on its back and splitting it lengthwise. (Any good, standard cook book will give detailed and graphic instructions on treating live lobsters for the novice cook.) Reserve the tomalley (green liver) and roe, if any.
Crush the crackers coarsely with a rolling pin. In a mixing bowl combine the melted butter, lemon juice and sherry, add the crushed crackers, salt, pepper, and the chopped shellfish. Add the reserved lobster liver and roe. Mix these ingredients lightly with a fork, then spoon stuffing into the prepared cavity of each lobster. Bake the lobsters in a shallow pan 20 to 25 minutes, depending on their size. Transfer to a large, heated platter; garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of parsley.
Makes 4 portions
(Sometimes called Blueberry Pot Pie or Blueberry Slump)
Blueberry Sauce
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Remove stems and leaves from berries, if any. Wash the berries. Combine them with sugar, water, and lemon juice in a heavy 4-quart saucepan, cover tightly, and cook over moderate heat until the berries are barely tender. (They will finish cooking with the dumplings.) Remove from heat.
Dumplings
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1/2-3/4 cup milk
- Heavy cream or whipped cream (optional)
Resift the flour with the baking powder, salt, and sugar (if used). Stir in sufficient milk so that the dumpling dough will drop readily from a spoon.Return blueberry sauce to stove; over low heat bring to a gentle simmer. Drop the dough from a tablespoon over the blueberry sauce-- the dumplings should measure 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Cover pan tightly and cook about 15 to 20 minutes.
Spoon the dumplings into shallow soup plates, covering with the berry sauce. Serve with heavy cream or slightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
A salty Chilmark acquaintance remarks that the dumplings are to be "bailed out of the pot" at serving time.
Makes 4 generous portions
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Is your stomach growling yet?
♥
