Bacon & Crab Chowdar
Why I Love This Recipe
Another golden goodie to cure the winter blues & slightly different from gumbo & chix soup!! I picked this one up from a knottie friend of mine from the DFW Knot Board that I frequent. I did change up her recipe a bit to suit our tastes & it came out fabulous!!
CHEF'S NOTES:
This is really great the next day, so if you can wait, allow all the flavors to meld together & have it the next day. You'll be blown away.
Also, if the chowdar smells fishy, it's b/c of the crab meat. This smell & taste will go away after all the flavors are allowed to sit overnight & chill together.
I do hope that you try this. It's one of my favorites!! :)
Ingredients You'll Need
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices of bacon, chopped
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
5 cups milk (whatever kind you have on hand, ie. skim, 1%, 2%, whole, anything but buttermilk)
12 ounces imitation crabmeat **I used the chunks
3 tablespoons thyme, 3 palmfuls
2 tablespoon cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp chipolte pepper (not really necessary, cayenne will do the trick too, but I like the smokeyness of chipolte. You can use a smokey paparika instead)
Directions
Put a medium pot over medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the bacon and cook until the bacon is crisp, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Pour off a little of the bacon fat, leaving a thin, even layer. (I was lazy and decided to leave ALL the bacon fat) Add the potatoes, onion, celery, and bell pepper season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the milk and cream, cover the pot and bring to a simmer.
Uncover the pot, stir in the crabmeat and seasonings and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender and the soup has thickened.
Serve immediately and top with the chopped bacon!
CHEF'S NOTES:
This is really great the next day, so if you can wait, allow all the flavors to meld together & have it the next day. You'll be blown away.
Also, if the chowdar smells fishy, it's b/c of the crab meat. This smell & taste will go away after all the flavors are allowed to sit overnight & chill together.
I do hope that you try this. It's one of my favorites!! :)
