Manhattan vs. New England Chowder

This weekend’s Super Bowl XLVI brings on yet another reason to gather, party and entertain. This year there is so much anticipation waiting for the re-match on Gameday. Although I may feel a sense of team loyalty towards one of the teams, I have good friends rooting for the Giants and New England. Today I am prepared to make all the fans happy.

New York is known as a melting pot of food culture with its strong ethnic roots, while New England may scream fish at first thought, but today its core is just as robust in ethnic foods as NYC. So with this in mind, I've taken two very popular chowders representing each team. 

Make them both, serve separately; or mix them fifty-fifty—I have named this chowder-mixture a Hoosier Chowder in honor of Indiana the host city. Either way, they’re both delicious and winners!

For A Winning Gameday Menu

Manhattan Chowder

Makes 6-8 servings | From Grilling with Chef George Hirsch Cookbook

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 cloves caramelized garlic

1/4 cup sweet onion

1/2 cup each celery & carrots, red bell peppers, chopped

2 cups yukon potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 pieces 

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon basil

1 bay leaf

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped or 1 (28 ounce can chopped tomatoes)

2 cups chicken broth

1 pint clams with juice, chopped

1 teaspoon hot sauce

fresh ground pepper to taste 

Add olive oil to preheated soup pot. Saute onions, celery, peppers, garlic and carrots until tender. Add potatoes, paprika, thyme, basil and bay leaf. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes, chicken broth and hot sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Lower to simmer and add clams. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste & serve immediately. 

New England Cod Chowder

Makes 6-8 servings | Adapted From Grilling with Chef George Hirsch Cookbook

2 pounds cod, diced into 1/2-inch cubes; or 1 pint clams with juice, chopped

1/4 pound salt pork or slab bacon, chopped fine

2 large sweet onions, diced small

4 cups yukon potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

4 cups fish broth, or clam juice or combination chicken broth 

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup heavy cream or half and half

2 Tablespoons sweet butter

Cook the salt pork in a large soup pot until it gives up all it's fat and remove pieces. Add the onion and cook until it begins to turn a very light brown - but do not over brown. Add the potato and broth and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cod and cook for 5 minutes or until fully cooked.  Stir in the cream, hot sauce, parsley, and pepper. Whisk in butter and serve immediately. 

Hoosier Chowder

Prepare both chowders. To serve, mix half & half of Manhattan + New England Chowders into preheated bowls and stir.  

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Happy 85th Hot Brown

A Hot Brown is a hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It was one of two signature sandwiches created by chefs at the Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923. The Brown Hotel is a grand property, of distinctive English Renaissance design and is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

According to The Hot Brown 85 year legend, "In the 1920's, The Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. In the wee hours of the morning, the guests would grow tired of dancing and retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Diners were growing rapidly bored with the traditional ham and eggs, so Chef Fred Schmidt set out to create something new to tempt his guests' palates. His unique creation was an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce." 

The dish is a local specialty and favorite of the Louisville area, and is popular throughout Kentucky. Think fondue-like only more of a pub-ish lunch; ideal and comforting during cold weather. The Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich w/ turkey and or bacon, covered in Mornay sauce and baked or broiled until the bread is crisp and the sauce begins to brown. Other varieties of Hot Browns may include ham with the turkey, and either pimentos or tomatoes over the sauce. 

Making The Sauce 

A béchamel or white sauce can be spiced up with a pinch of cayenne pepper, or hot sauce, 1/2 cup IPA (or another good ale), 1 teaspoon prepared English mustard, and pinch of paprika.

Finish the sauce off with 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk in and simmer just until the cheese is melted. Serve a couple tablespoons of sauce over a slice of good wheat toast. Serve as is, or you may want to place the 'Hot Brown' under a broiler for 30 seconds to brown lightly. Top with chopped chives or green onion. I've also topped this with a slice of good ripe tomato + sweet onion. Enjoy.

A Light Béchamel Recipe | ChefGeorgeHirsch.com
1 Tablespoon sweet butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup half & half (can use milk for a lighter version) 

In a small sauce pan over low heat add butter and flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. With a wire whisk add in milk and allow to simmer until slightly thickened.

If using béchamel for Hot Brown, continue adding ingredients as above and simmer for 5 minutes while continuing to stir. 

In The Can

Ettore Boiardi was an Italian-American chef, born in 1897 in Piacenza, Italy, and arriving at Ellis island in 1914. I am sure you have heard of this famous chef and have seen him as an early celebrity chef hawking his italian-style food products on TV. First, I must say growing up as a child in an Italian-American household his canned products never graced our household tables. This post is not an endorsement of his food product, rather a tribute to his spirit in the American culture as one of the first accomplished chefs to market their food products to the American public. 

Boiardi, or more commonly know as "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee” because early marketers assumed people would not be able to pronounce his Italian name. It's important to note Chef Boiardi was truly a chef and not a made up fictional character like.. are you ready for this? there is no Betty Crocker! Boiardi worked his way up through the ranks at the Plaza Hotel in NYC to head chef, responsible for serving our presidents and the elite dining guests.

Later on in his career he would open his own restaurant, Il Giardino d'Italia, whose name translated as “The Garden of Italy,” located in Cleveland, Ohio. His patrons would often ask for his recipes, so Chef Boiardi would often send home samples of sauce packed in old milk bottles. To keep up with the demand in 1926 he had his sauce bottled, and to ensure quality control - grew his own tomatoes and mushrooms. 

In case you haven't been wowed as yet, Boiardi received the "gold star order of excellence" from the United States War Department for suppling American and Allied troops with food rations during World War II. He later on sold his brand, but continued developing new Italian foods and remained involved with promoting the brand until the last TV commercial in 1979. The first classic commercial for Chef Boyardee's Mushroom Sauce aired on CBS-TV May 22, 1953. I do get a kick out of this TV commercial!

Lesson here: During the my early part of my career as a chef I was called by my close friends "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee". Of course this greeting would make me think of the ravioli in a can, and not so much about the chef. The recent reintroduction of the vintage TV commercial from a mega global food company made me revisit the legend of Ettore Boiardi, and tip my toque in respect to an accomplished chef. From now on when called "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee" I will be reminded of a man with so much impact and not so much about pasta in a can. 

To Make Chef George's Homemade Ravioli 

Bob's Red Mill

I love a product with a good story. Just 15 minutes from Portland, Oregon you'll find Bob at his big red mill - touting the way of his hand stonemilled products; preserving nutrition through tradition.

Our beautiful stone grinding mills are much like the ones used during early Roman times. And to this day, our quartz millstones remain the best way to produce the finest products available. Unlike high-speed steel rollers, our stone mills ensure the most nutritious parts of the whole grain remain, so we can pack all-natural goodness right into your bag.

 Buckwheat is a delicious alternative to my tradional pancake recipe.

Bob's Buckwheat Pancake and Waffle Mix is full of wholesome goodness and flavor, using organic stone ground whole grain wheat and buckwheat flours, pure raw sugar and non-aluminum leavening, using only organic flour. Just top off the deliciou stack with your favorite maple syrup.

Grilled Schweinefilet Sandwich

Schweine is a pig or like in today's post refers to a pork fillet or loin. What makes Schweine so timely is the upcoming Super Bowl XLVI which is taking place in Indiana, February 5th. And, one of the largest food staples produced in Indiana is pork. So much so that Indiana pork industry produces more than $4 billion annually to the Hoosier's economy. So there is no doubt gameday parties all over Indiana will contain Schweine on the grill. My sandwich recipe pays homage to my all my Hoosier friends, so this is what will be on my grill for Super Bowl XLVI. I will also slow cook my dry rub ribs too, but since they take a while my Schweinefilet Sandwich will be good to munch on while we wait!

My Dry Rub Ribs Recipe

Proud Hoosier Agriculture:

- 94% of Indiana's pork farms are family owned and operated.

Good to Know:

- Pork can be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal temperature of 145 degrees F, as measured by a food thermometer, followed by a three minute rest time. NOTE: Ground pork, like all ground meats, should be cooked to 160 degrees F.

Grilled Schweinefilet Sandwich
Makes four Sandwiches | Adapted from Adventures in Grilling Cookbook by George Hirsch

1 1/2 pounds pork loin cutlets, trimmed
Juice of two lemons
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons ketchup
6 cloves caramelized garlic
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place the cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound thin with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet.

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, ketchup, caramelized garlic, paprika, chili powder, rosemary, thyme, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.

Add the pork cutlets and refrigerate for one hour, turning the meat occasionally.

Pre heat the grill to high. 

Remove the meat from the marinade and grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade. Remove meat from the grill and allow meat to rest 2-3 minutes. Serve on favorite breads such as chiabita, kaiser roll, baguette,  focaccia, or sliders.

Optional Fillings for Sandwich: Grilled peppers, sliced tomatoes, pickles, arugula, micro-greens, or  Top with Dill Sauce or favorite dressing.

Optional Side: Savory Slaw Recipe

For the Dill Sauce: Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard, juice from one fresh lemon, 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, 1 Tablespoon caper, 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, and fresh ground black pepper.