Warm the Fall Chills with Chowder

At this time last year, Steve and I were renting a house in Vermont, just over the border from New Hampshire. Although the fall chill and color arrived later there, it also lasted longer, waiting – at least at lower elevations – until early December before the last leaves turned brown, and the first flakes of snow dusted the ground. The combination of crisp evenings, wood burning stove, spacious kitchen, and a farmer’s market just one mile away, inspired me to develop some delicious new tummy warming recipes for fall.

One of my favorites happened completely by chance. I was searching for wild caught fish, an item that was only occasionally stocked at the small, natural food co-op in Vermont where I did most of my shopping. So, I stopped at a more mainstream grocery. To my delight, one of the clerks was just in the process of putting some containers of “chowder fish” in a freezer next to the fresh fish displays. He explained that these were pieces of fillets, too small to sell on their own, that were cut into chunks. I grabbed two containers – one for dinner that night, and one to freeze for later – and headed home excited to try my first fish chowder.

Because I’d never made any kind of chowder before, I looked on the internet for some sample recipes to get a basic sense of ingredients. Then, I substituted coconut milk for the milk, ghee for the butter, and my own home-made turkey stock for the chicken broth. I had some celery and potatoes that needed to be eaten, and added some frozen peas, too.

Here’s what I came up with.

Salmon Chowder

(free of gluten, dairy, corn, and soy)

2 tablespoons ghee

¾ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup diced potatoes

2 cups stock (I used turkey, but vegetable or chicken would also work)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried dill

frozen salmon cut into bite size pieces

1/2 bag frozen peas

1 12 oz can organic coconut milk

Directions:

Melt ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, dill, peas, and salmon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes and salmon are cooked and tender. Add additional salt and spices to taste. Serve alone or with salad and gluten-free rolls.