Date: 26 November 2014. Cuban Conch Chowder.
© janice142
Of late
I have been more than a little nostalgic for the days of my youth.
Growing up on a 40'er in an age when few children were aboard
did at times become lonely. Reading of course helped and my folks
taught me to read when I was quite young. Thus entertaining myself was
simply
a matter of opening a book and visiting other worlds.
Mostly
though I played by myself things like Pirates and Indians. Having my
own dinghy was the ticket to freedom and exploration. Fishing took time too and where the waters were clear
there was always conch to be hunted. I love conch.
One year we
were anchored on the south side of an island and I scored a few of
the delicious, albeit tough critters. After Daddy removed them from the
shell it was my job to pound the meat into submission. Conch is sweet,
but tends to be very chewy.
All these
decades later I still have the same mallet. It was old then, but
when you take care of stuff...
Winter at
below the 25th latitude tends to be warm and that particular
Thanksgiving we were celebrating with new friends. Mother's chowder was the main dish, er, pot. It was well received too I might
add.
Cuban Conch
Chowder |
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It has been years since I made conch chowder so let me share with you a recipe from one of
my cookbooks,
Conch Cooking. This is an adequate starting point.
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Now, let me tell you what is wrong with that
recipe:
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Use conch of course, quantity dependant upon number
of folks joining. Pound first, then grind or chop into small
bits.
-
Canned tomatoes are not a favorite. We use fresh
tomatoes. Sometimes we will supplement with diced in a can but
only by necessity.
-
Add lots of onion, a couple of green peppers, and
there is no such thing as too much garlic.
-
We did not use salt pork. Instead, we added some
Portuguese sausage called chorizo.
Chorizo is a spicy
sausage and will add fire to your conch chowder. For a bit
less bite you might select linguica. Linguica is much milder.
As for me, I prefer the spicier option.
Serve with freshly baked
bread for dipping.
You are sure to have many
satisfied palates at your table with such a meal.
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Cuban conch
chowder was on the menu one memorable Thanksgiving many decades ago.
I share the recipe and my memories with you today and wish you a
happy scrumptious holiday meal.
Happy
Thanksgiving from my Seaweed to you and yours.
What's on the menu at your place this Thanksgiving?
And who are you sharing the holiday with this year?
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