When I was a child, I used to love to slurp this soup when I ate at a Jewish delicatessen. I would always order a bowl—never a measly cup—and eat it with all of the free pickles I could get the waitress to bring. Now I make my own recipe with big, fat, creamy lima beans floating among chewy pearls of barley. Pre-soaking the lima beans in boiling water is an essential step in softening their wrinkled, tough texture.
This one is thick and hearty, filled with chunks of pumpkin, shrimp, and cubes of potatoes. The unusual taste comes from the pumpkin base and seafood stock. Putting these two ingredients together is kind of like a mixed marriage between sweet pumpkin and astringent stock, but it works. It gives you a new way to prepare pumpkin instead of pie.
People go wild for this tasty combination of crisp bits of bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and crunchy scallions. These flavors work so well together, you almost can’t go wrong when you put them in a soup. People sometimes order a dozen bowls at a time—one for everyone at work. It makes me so happy to think that one whole office is slurping up this chowder for lunch.
The pureed roasted red peppers gives the soup a glorious glow and taste.
What I like most about Manhattan clam chowder is its zesty broth, loaded with bits of chewy clams. I like to make my version spicy and serve it with a side of garlic bread. Rhode Islanders serve a similar dish called Rhode Island red chowder. It is basically the same chowder as Manhattan with a different name.
New Englanders have been making fish chowder ever since the 1700s, though the recipe has evolved over time. Some early versions called for red wine or ketchup before preferences changed to a creamy, white combination of fish, potatoes, salt pork, and seasonings.My version doesn’t stray far from tradition. I like to use haddock, but you can use any other white fish (such as cod or mackerel), as long as it has a bit of firmness to it. Fish chowder is a rather rustic soup. It is best served in large mugs with plenty of salty oyster crackers on top. I especially like it on a cool, rainy day.
