Special Recipes
By Carole Kotkin

Island Blue Mussel and Sweet Potato Chowder
adapted from a recipe by Chef Jeff McCourt
The Inn at Bay Fortune, Prince Edward Island

This hearty chowder is the restaurant's most-requested recipe.

For the chowder:

5 pounds Island Blue Mussels, scrubbed
1 pound Spanish onions, chopped
4 ounces unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
8 ounces carrots, peeled and grated
4 cups milk
2 cups cream
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, julienned and deep fried
For the spicy butter:

2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
4 ounces unsalted butter
Place mussels and 1/4 cup of water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Place on high heat and steam open the shells. Discard any that don't open.

Remove meat and set aside; strain and reserve broth and some shells for garnish. Sweat onions in butter over a high heat stirring frequently and taking care not to burn. Cook until golden brown. Add garlic for last few minutes. Add grated sweet potatoes, carrots, milk, cream, spices and mussel broth. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, then check vegetables. They should be soft and mushy. Purée thoroughly in a blender. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. Add reserved mussels and serve immediately with spicy butter and deep-fried sweet potatoes.

In a medium-size saucepan, bring all spicy butter ingredients to a simmer over low heat. Whisk together well and drizzle over the soup as it is served. Serves 6.

Pair with Château des Charmes 1995 Chardonnay, Niagara-on-the-Lake




Article first published in The Wine News

 

Food Editor Carole Kotkin is a Miami-based cooking instructor and consultant who co-authored Mmmmiami - Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere. It provides clear, simple directions for 150 dishes, from the simple (good old Key Lime Pie) to the sublime (Coconut Mahi-Mahi with Passion Fruit Sauce). The wide array of flavors is especially wonderful and startling to those used to monocultural cooking; Miami cuisine is the product of many generations of interbreeding and hybrid vigor. Click on the link below for more details or to order.

Mmmmiami : Tempting Tropical Tastes for Cooks Everywhere

See Also

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American diners have discovered one of Europe's most civilized culinary traditions
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Sydney's Cosmopolitan Cuisine
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Eat Your Vegetables!
Pairing Wine with Plant-Based Cuisine
By Carole Kotkin & Fred Tasker

 

All articles courtesy of The Wine News