Haddock Chowder, with a little help from Nanna.

Nanna, the great grandmother of the Chickenless Chick, grew up in the fishing village of Spruce Head, Maine. Her father was a lobsterman and kept the light at Metinicus, and later Whitehead Island, which his decendents still own. Nanna was a cook with a well-lived expertise in all things New England. Sadly Nanna passed away several years ago at an age somewhere around 99.

The CC's dad, no doubt, will always and forever remember Nanna's molassas cookies. For me, it was her fish chowder and lobster stew.

As a matter of fact, tonight, with Popeye tuned to the Penn State game in the background, I spent a little alone time in the kitchen with Nanna as I tried to remember the steps to her simplest and most delicious of dishes, her chowder.

Haddock Chowder, Cheese Biscuits,

and the season's first local Strawberries for dessert.

Start simple, stay simple. No doubt there was a reason chowders were simple. Back in the day, a winter pantry in Maine was likely to contain self-canned goods, potatoes, onions and precious little else until spring arrived. 

Nanna's Fish Chowder for a Winter's Night

1 lb cod, haddock, or other firm white fish, filleted and cubed. (Tonight, sadly, I have no cod from Maine. The haddock is frozen, from Norway, via good old Publix.)

1 small onion, chopped

2/3 c. mushrooms, chopped (My personal addition, Nanna wouldn't mind.)

1/4 cup bacon or ham (or salt pork to be authentic)

butter or olive oil
2 cups water

2 potatoes, diced

salt and pepper

2 cups milk (Anything from skim to full cream. Hey, they're your arteries.)

Saute the onion, bacon, and mushrooms in a good sized pan with a little butter or olive oil or combination thereof. Cook just until translucent, not browned.

Add the water, potatoes, and fish. Bring to a boil , lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and the fish just barely flakes. Nanna insists from my awakening memory, "Watch, you don't cook it to mush." (Thanks Nanna, you know me too well!)

(I had a couple leftover potatoes already cooked, so I waited to add mine with the milk.)

Taste, taste, taste. Salt! Pepper! Add a pat or two of butter if you like. Taste some more.

Pour into a bigger pot if you need to, and add the milk. Taste again. More salt? More butter?

Bring to the verge of boiling, then cover the pot, turn off the heat and let er sit for an hour - if you have the time. (If not, dig in!) Then heat it up and serve "piping hot" as they say in Maine.

Nanna would have put some salty crackers out on the table, along with some pickles, and hunks of cheese. The cheese wasn't served as part of a traditional chowder dinner. It was there because Grandpa (who lived to 99 as well) liked his cheese. Clearly all that fish had the magic!