On most days when
the paper arrives in the morning, I head straight for the Sports Section (yes,
girls like sports, too), but on Wednesday the Sports Section is cast aside in
favor of the Food Section, and specifically the column in the food section called “Special Requests” that divulges specially requested recipes from
area restaurants. This past week the Post-Dispatch featured a recipe that
particularly caught my eye, lifetime lover of soup that I am. It was for
chowder from Robust's Wine Bar, an area eatery with three locations.
The list of
ingredients is ample, but the soup comes together rather quickly as the
vegetables can be chopped while the meats are cooking. I cut the recipe in
half, and it came out beautifully (and I was certainly glad that I had a bag of
previously roasted
poblanos in the freezer).
I took a portion to
my dad, who is more a fan of the broth-y meat-and-vegetable kind of soup, and
he gave this a thumbs up, as did the two of us. It has loads of flavor, with a
tiny bit of heat that will have you scraping the bowl and wanting more.
Robust's Chowder
Yield: 16 (1-cup) servings
1
quart whole milk
1
quart heavy cream
4
tablespoons (½
stick) butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ pound chorizo, diced
½ pound andouille,
diced
½ large yellow onion, diced small
1 rib
celery, diced small
½ red bell pepper, diced small
½ green pepper, diced small
½ poblano chile, diced small
5
russet potatoes, peeled and diced small
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground thyme
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1
tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
1
pound 71-90 count shrimp, shelled
1 cup
all-purpose flour
1 cup
frozen corn
Crostini,
for serving
In a large, heavy
pot, heat milk and cream until just before it begins to boil, stirring often;
do not allow to boil.
Meanwhile, in a
large, heavy pot, heat butter and oil until shimmery on medium heat. Add
chorizo and andouille and cook for about 5 minutes until fat begins to render.
Add onion, celery, peppers, chile and potato, let sweat for about 5 minutes.
Stir in spices, salt, pepper and shrimp.
Stir in flour,
stirring well to combine evenly, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent
sticking and burning.
Slowly stir in milk
and cream mixture, then gently stir continuously until chowder comes almost to
a boil. When shrimp are cooked, stir in corn and remove from heat. Refrigerate
for 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.
To serve Robust-style,
gently reheat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Serve in bowls with
crostini on the side. (I topped mine with a few slices of Melissa’s
shishito peppers to give it a bit
more pizazz!)
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