Comforting: Salmon and Corn Chowder

So I found a recipe on Oprah.com that was both easy and yummy and I decided to try it out.

The original recipe can be found here.

I did one major variation from the recipe. Instead of using creamed corn, which I honestly don’t care for, I used fresh corn. But as I always say, do what you feel tastes best!

First things first, how can you have chowder without the bacon? =)
Ingredients are listed out in the original recipe but basically the basics are leeks, peppers, bacon, potatoes, fresh corn (my take) and of course salmon!

Next the cooking. I started off with the bacon to render some of the fat off and use the bacon grease as my cooking fat. Yum. Bacon.

(At this point I can only think of breakfast…………… Okay stop getting distracted. You’re worse than me)

After the bacon achieved about….. 75% crispness (in my eyes….) I threw in the leeks, tossed them in the bacon fat and then let it sweat for a few mins covered.
The original recipe says to take the bacon out and crumble it on top at the end. However I liked leaving the small bits of bacon in the soup. It reminds me of the way clam chowder is. Again, it’s your call to decide what you like best.

Next comes the easy part, basically I poured in chicken broth plus a splash of white wine (another variation from the original recipe) and threw in the potatoes. Then I let it simmer for a lil bit til the leeks and potatoes are nice and tender.

In the meantime…. Salmon!
First let’s talk about portioning. In the original recipe, it calls for about two thirds of a pound of salmon for 6 servings. That’s a reasonable portion of fish in my opinion. However for this meal, as I was being a lil lazy, I decided to buy a bigger portion of fish and make my chowder my main meal… Plus extra salmon is okay by me. So I probably used the same amount of salmon in the recipe but everything else was half the portion as there are only two people in my house. Gluttonous I know.

So I seasoned the salmon with some salt and pepper, garlic powder and old bay (cheat I know =)).

Another variation to the recipe. I grilled the salmon separately on a flat top grill and cooked it to about a medium temperature.

I’ve tried both methods, cooking the salmon in the stock pot and grilling it separately. I personally enjoy the taste of grilled salmon in this soup. There is a slight char to the flesh and I feel having the skin on the bottom keeps it nice and moist and for me, prevents it from overcooking somewhat.

Then of course, everything else is business as usual. Flake the salmon into nice chunks and set aside.

Just before I add the salmon to the broth with the leeks, bacon and potatoes, I add the remaining vegetables to the pot.

I personally like my vegetables to have a slight crunch and a “fresh” texture, ie not mushy. So once I throw the corn and peppers in, I switch off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit and cook the vegetables for a few mins.

Then I add my salmon and give it a rough stir.

Finally. The finished product. Which I find very tasty.

Between the saltiness from the bacon and chicken broth, I really don’t need to add much salt. I definitely add some nice fresh ground pepper and fresh chopped parsley as a finishing touch.

There you have it, a healthy and hearty chowder thrown together in less than an hour. THANKS OPRAH!!

YUMMEH.

Late night snacking : Turkey Burgers with sexy toppings

So it was late and I wanted to cook a good meal for my partner in crime that was yummy but relatively easy.

I went a lil overboard but I felt it was worth it. And really not that hard at all.

So I had a lil turkey left over from dumpling making the night before. Random shiitake mushrooms and some other leftovers in the fridge. So here I go.

First things first. Chopped up broccoli and threw it in the turkey with some garlic, soy sauce, pepper and a pinch of salt. I thought since I was gonna have fun with toppings, I’d go simple on the burger itself.
Now I used an egg white to bind the turkey and set the egg yolk aside to make an aioli from scratch.

So peppers went in and roasted away

Then next. The aioli.

Basically aioli is fancy for mayonnaise. It’s egg yolks and oil. The key is to make sure you whisk the egg yolk enough and make it fluffy enough to incorporate the oil and thicken it into a mayo like consistency rather than a vinaigrette.
So I whisked egg yolk with mustard to start and then drizzled EVOO into it slowly. Then once I achieved the consistency I wanted, I added some lemon juice, parsley, fresh pressed garlic and some Parmesan cheese.

So turkey getting done woot woot

Anddddddd finally all my sexy friends are ready to be dressed.
I also sliced up some baby cucumbers to add a nice fresh crunch to the sandwich.

And finally with my toasted ciabatta roll.

Tada!!!

She thought it was good, the lil beggar. =)