Corn and Lobster Chowder

With summer coming to a close and the abundant sweet corn with it, I wanted to make up for the corn ice cream debacle and share something with you all that I would actually make again. This time I thought I should stick with something a bit more mainstream as far as corn recipes go. Chowder came to mind right away because, like the corn, seafood chowders are something that I associate with summer. I know that hot, creamy soups are generally not high on the menus during the summer, but for me the association has more to do with summer beach trips. The taste of chowder brings memories of the sounds of the surf and smell of the salt in the air. The result of this recipe was truly excellent, and the only thing that would have made it better would be cooking it at a beach house while watching the waves. Ah well...there's always next summer.

Radish Leaf Soup

I suppose we all have preconceived notions about food and cooking.  Things that we've been doing or thinking for ever without much thought as to why, usually not even realizing that we may be missing out on something.  This week, I discovered one of mine.  When radishes were included in previous shares, I'd just cut off and discard the leaves without much thought, assuming they were not useful for cooking. This week it occurred to me that I might be wrong about that and saved them separately from the radishes.  A little searching uncovered a variety of uses for the greens, many involving soups.  Even though hot soup is not something one normally thinks about in June, this week has been unusually cool and rainy, making a pot of soup seem like a good idea.

The recipe below is pieced together from several recipes I found online. There is a lot of variation possible here, so you should experiment with other ingredients.  The common item in almost all the recipes I found to include with the radish leaves were potatoes, but everything else could be changed.  The result was quite good; a dominating potato flavor accented with a "green" taste from the radish leaves.  Using sliced radish as a garnish added a nice peppery crunch, and we found ourselves adding more halfway through the bowl.

Share contents used:
All the radish leaves plus a couple radishes

Ingredients
2 tbs butter
4 cups fresh radish leaves, washed and coarsely chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
1 cup onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 radishes, thinly sliced for garnish

Preparation
Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often until soft.  Add the radish leaves and continue stirring until the leaves are wilted.  Mix in the potatoes then add the broth.  Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Using a blender, puree the soup until smooth then return to the pot (or use a stick blender in the pot if you have one).  Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a few thinly sliced radishes floated on top as a garnish.

Leek and Potato Soup

I was inspired to try this recipe after my Dad told me that's what he'd make if he had some leeks.  Also called vichyssoise (vish-e-swaz), this creamy soup can be served cold or hot. There are dozens of recipes out there, and they all revolve around some combination of leeks, potatoes, cream and stock. I eventually settled on this recipe by Alton Brown because of the interesting addition of buttermilk and because I am rarely disappointed by his recipes (this one was no exception).

Share contents used:
All remaining leeks (~1 lb)

Other Ingredients:
3 tbs butter
14 oz diced potatoes
1 qt vegetable broth
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Buttermilk
White Pepper
Salt





With the soup complete, the week 1 share is just about used up.  All that remains are the mint plant (currently taking root out in the garden) and the honey which is slowly being enjoyed on yogurt, toast and in tea.  The cilantro and half of the scallions went to friends.

You won't hear much from me for a little while as the family and I are off for a vacation.  The week 2 share has been carefully wrapped and tucked into the fridge for when we return.  I am hoping that the fact this produce is much fresher than what would come from the grocery store will allow it to sit longer without spoilage.  We shall see.  Since I'll still be away next week, I have designated a friend to pick up the week 3 share for his family to enjoy.