BOOK/A TABLE - The Chowder Society

 

Revenge is a twice-told tale: the pursuit of it, and the aftermath that follows. Throw a spiteful ghost into the mix and things begin to get rather complicated...

In Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, set in a wintry New England town, a collection of four old men (a.k.a. members of the Chowder Society) are haunted by their past and get together once a month to tell each other—yes, ghost stories—in an effort perhaps to absolve themselves of the grave accident they once caused. Let’s just say it doesn’t exactly work out for the poor fellows.

“Somberness had not been evaded: he saw again the skeletal branches thrusting through the brilliant leaves, the implacable bloodied face of the girl on the film poster, and remembered that is was his turn to tell the story at the Chowder Society meeting that night.”

I won’t reveal any more about the book, preferring to tell you instead about this recipe for New England Clam Chowder from Manhattan’s Fulton Fish Market. But like the stories in Ghost Story, this dish is meant to be shared.

Chunky New England Clam Chowder
Adapted from fultonfishmarket.com
Serves Four

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
8 ounces thick-cut bacon, sliced crosswise
1 large onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 ⅔ cups whole milk
2 cups fish or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
⅔ cup heavy cream
1 ½ pounds fresh clams, rinsed
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until golden and crisp, 6-8 minutes; remove to a plate lined with paper towels and cover with aluminum foil.

Add the onion, celery, garlic, potatoes, and a pinch of salt to the Dutch oven, sweating until starting to color, about 10 minutes.

Whisk in the cornstarch and cook for 2 minutes; whisk in the milk followed by the stock in a slow, steady stream until fully incorporated.

Add the bay leaves and bring the mixture to a simmer; cook steadily until the potatoes are very soft, 15-20 minutes.

Discard the bay leaves. Whisk in the cream; bring the chowder to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper; keep warm over very low heat.

Place the clams in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add the wine, cover the pan with a lid, and cook until the clams have steamed open, 3-4 minutes; discard any that don't open.

Drain the clams and leave to cool for 3 minutes. Pick the meat from the shells; stir the picked clam meat into the chowder along with the parsley and reserved bacon.

Serve straight away for best results.

 

BOOK/A TABLE - Mad About the Melt

In anticipation of Hallowe’en, I'll be featuring a few frightening reads and recipes all this month—kicking things off with a tribute to the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Read on, if you dare...

Back in 1980, when my friends and I were in 7th grade, we did the impossible. At least, our feat was something that would be considered quite unfathomable to the teens and tweens of today (and I daresay more than a few parents)—we sat, glued together in front of a television in the dark and, uninterrupted by any distractions, watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in all its jaw-clenching entirety for the first time.

I will always remember that night and appreciate that my friends agreed to walk me the few blocks home afterward, certain as I was that although it was only a movie...only a movie...a knife-wielding madman was nevertheless hiding somewhere in a bush along the way.

In Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho, Norman offers Mary some sustenance upon her arrival to the Bates Motel. “The kitchen was a complement of the parlor—lined with ceiling-high glassed-in cupboards grouped about an old-fashioned sink with a hand-pump attachment...and the long wooden table bore a welcome display of sausage, cheese and homemade pickles in glass dishes scattered about on the red-and-white checkered cloth.”

I think it’s safe to say that Bloch was a fan of the hyphen.

Anyway, in the movie version, Norman gives Mary some kind of uninteresting sandwich instead of the aforementioned display, when what he really should have served is the outrageous tuna melt from the Golden Diner under the Manhattan Bridge. I can’t help but think things might have turned out differently for all involved if Norman had only cut into this sandwich instead of...well, never mind. 

Golden Diner’s Tuna Melt
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Recipe from Sam Yoo
Adapted by Alexa Weibel

Ingredients:
For the Tuna Salad
⅓ cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann’s)
¼ cup minced bread and butter pickles
1½ teaspoons yellow mustard (preferably Frank’s)
Scant ½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 (5-ounce) cans yellowfin tuna packed in water, drained (all of the water squeezed out)
⅓ cup minced red onion
⅓ cup minced celery
½ teaspoon Tabasco (or to taste)
Salt

For the Sandwiches:
6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
8 slices rye bread (or other sandwich bread)
Salt-and-vinegar potato chips
6 slices American Cheese

Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the tuna salad: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, minced pickles, mustard, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil with one hand while whisking the mixture with the other. Add the drained tuna, red onion and celery; fold to combine. Season to taste with Tabasco and salt; refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Step 2
Cook the sandwiches: Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Working in batches as needed, add the bread to the heated griddle, buttered-side down, and divide the cheese among 4 slices of bread, tearing cheese to fit in a single layer (1½ pieces per slice of bread). Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy and golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer toasts to a large cutting board for assembly.
Step 3
Divide the cold tuna mix among 4 slices (about ½ cup each), schmearing it to cover each piece from edge to edge. Add a handful of chips on top and close the sandwiches with the other slices of bread, toasted-side up. Using a serrated knife, cut sandwiches in half diagonally and serve while the bread is warm.

P.S. Speaking of Hitch...it’s Hitchcocktober at Village East by Angelika (181-189 2nd Ave, NYC) when they will be serving up a smorgasboard of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest films on the big screen every Wednesday in October, finishing up with Psycho on the 30th-31st. Go to angelikafilmcenter.com for more info.

Thanks to Rachel Vanni for the tuna sandwich pic from The New York Times!