Category: Main Dishes

Corn and Cheese Chowder

Chowders are basically thickened soups. They are similar to stews but often are thickened with cream, biscuits or crackers. This recipe uses cream and flour to thicken the broth, but the addition of corn and cheese puts it definitely in the chowder category.

Jerri found the original recipe about eight years ago on the web. It was pretty good but too bland for our taste. We increased the bacon, cheese and spices and ended up with a better bowl of chowder than what we had the first time we made it.

It’s inexpensive, easy to make and a good main dish for a warm and nourishing dinner on a cold winter evening. Give it a try.

INGREDIENTS:

5 slices bacon
1 large onion (3 1/2 – 4 inches in diameter)
1 T butter
2 tsp. cumin
3 T all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. white pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 large potato
10 – 12 oz. package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup whipping cream?2 1/2 – 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

Peel the potato and chop it into a quarter inch dice. and cut the bacon into half inch pieces.

Fry the bacon in a four quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderate heat until it is browned and slightly crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a paper towel on a small plate.

While the bacon is cooking, clean the onion and chop it into a quarter inch dice.

Add a tablespoon of butter to the bacon fat. Cook the chopped onion in the fat for a minute or so, then stir in the cumin. Add the flour and white pepper and cook for one to two minutes to make a roux.

Whisk the chicken broth into the onions and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the potatoes, bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes for eight to nine minutes, then stir in the cream and corn.

While the chowder is coming back to a simmer, grate the cheese. Stir in the grated cheese and hot sauce and heat until the chowder is steaming. Stir in two or three grinds of black pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with some crisp bacon. Serve with a salad and a good bread.

NOTE: If you don’t have any chicken broth in your pantry, you can substitute bouillon cubes and water. Start with three cubes of bouillon and four cups of water. Add another cube or a teaspoon of instant bouillon if you need more salt.

Easy Glazed Pork Steak

When I find something on sale at the supermarket, I am tempted. A couple of weeks ago, the meat manager had put some packages of pork steak into the discount bin. I brought a package home, found a recipe for boneless pork chops that looked pretty good and adapted it to turn some inexpensive meat into a delicious dinner.

You can put these pork steaks on the table complete in less than twenty minutes if you don’t dawdle. And if you start the pasta water when you walk into the kitchen, you can have the complete meal on the table in a half hour.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs. pork steaks, at least 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. powdered garlic
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 T vegetable oil or shortening
1 T maple syrup (optional)

PROCEDURE:

Using a fork, mix the sugar and spices together in a small bowl. Cut the pork steaks into serving-size pieces and put them on a platter. Spread half the sugar and spice mixture over upper side of the steaks and rub it into the meat. Turn the steaks over and repeat the procedure. Let the steaks rest a few minutes while you warm the frying pan.

Coat a non-stick frying pan with about two tablespoons of oil or shortening and heat it over high heat until the oil is very hot. Put the steaks in the pan, scraping any juices and spice mixture from the platter onto the steaks. Fry them for about three minutes, then turn the steaks over and fry them another three minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the steaks another three or four minutes on each side.

If you wish, drizzle a tablespoon of maple syrup over the steaks when they are nearly done and turn them a final time to complete the glaze.

Pasta with vegetables goes very well with these steaks, but you may prefer rice or potatoes.

NOTES: If you are one of those people like me who counts carbs, you should experiment with making your own glazes for meat. This recipe, for instance, has fewer than sixty-two grams of carbohydrates. Since it makes four servings, each serving has only about sixteen grams of carbohydrates. Contrast that with one of my favorite “eating-out dinners,” General Tso chicken, which alone has sixty-four grams of carbohydrates.

If you think that dieting means to follow the advice of a doctor who supposedly said, “If it tastes good, spit it out,” these glazed pork steaks will change your mind. Just don’t eat more than one.