Favorite Cold Weather Meal

digitS'

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That was a summer soup for me, NyBoy. I will have to see how escarole does in other seasons.

I may have harvested Portuguese kale so hard that the plants wouldn't have energy to get into winter but I can't leave them where they are, anyway. I had snap peas in noodle soup, last night.

Scotch kale with barley is good.

I've found that the Rattlesnake beans are a good choice for chili.

Steve
 

TheSeedObsesser

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A big stack on fresh-from-the-skillet pumpkin pancakes with local maple syrup, maybe with a slice of baked non-sweet Maxima winter squash to the side. Of course this changes every year, but it mainly revolves around winter squash.
 

thistlebloom

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....Or a nice chicken pot pie, with big chunks of chicken and all the veggies, in a single serve ramekin with top and bottom crusts, nice and golden and steaming hot.....
 

digitS'

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Hey, @Nyboy .

Do you still have those spicy chicken wings your nephew left in your car?

I'm thinking 2 at a time in something like a quart of cream of celery soup.

;) Steve
 

britesea

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I just tried making something called Rhode Island Clam Chowder, the family loved it. The delicate flavor of the clams comes through much better without dairy or tomato to cover it up:

  • 2 oz. thin-sliced bacon (2 to 3 slices), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
  • 1-1/2 oz. unsalted butter (3 Tbs.)
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 4 tender inner celery stalks, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick (about 1 cup)
  • 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic (2 large cloves)
  • 6 cups diluted clam broth, plus the reserved clam meat (1-1/2 to 2 cups), finely chopped
  • 1-1/2 lb. large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice (about 3-1/2 cups)
  • 2-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Put the bacon in a wide heavy-duty 4- to 5-quart pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to turn crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour off and discard the bacon fat, leaving the bacon in the pot. Add the butter and onion and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onion is sweet and tender, about 10 minutes. The onion shouldn’t color. Add the celery and garlic and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the clam broth, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat, wait until it stops simmering (this may take a minute if you’re using a Dutch oven), and stir in the clams and chopped parsley. Season to taste with black pepper, if desired
 

Just-Moxie

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I love the frozen version of the creamy clam chowder. Haven't a clue how to make it myself though.
 

britesea

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Here's a good homemade version of the cream-style clam chowder

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter (or 6-7 pieces of bacon, diced)
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks (reserve tender leaves) trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 pound Idaho potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dill weed (optional)

Pan Toasted Croutons:

2 to 3 tablespoons butter
1/2 baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly. Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender. Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, and dill; cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.

For the Pan Toasted Croutons:
Melt the butter in a large skillet and toss the bread cubes in the butter until browned and toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper.
 
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