On The Move

  Ciao Chow Linda will be on the move in more ways than one, so there won't be any new posts coming for a couple of weeks.

I'm off to Italy to spend a little time with relatives and friends near Milan, then co-leading the "Italy, In Other Words" writing workshop on Lake Como before flying to London to visit my daughter, who has been living there for a year now.

When I do return, you may be seeing an entirely new "Ciao Chow Linda," as my blog undergoes a revamp to update its "look" -- long overdue after nine years with the same format.

In the meantime, if you want to follow along on my trip to Italy and England, I will be posting photos daily on my Instagram account here.

And if the photos of dreamy Varenna have you wishing you were with us on the writing retreat, then contact me to sign up for next year's session. This year's was sold out and we've already had requests for next year, so it's not to early to let us know your interest. You get a discount for early signup. More info here.

A presto!

Fish and Corn Chowder

It all started with about six ounces of leftover salmon and 1/2 cup of cream. 

I'm not generally a fan of leftover fish, but as I was driving one day thinking about

what to serve for dinner, it occurred to me I had the basis for a creamy

chowder sitting in the fridge.

So before I made it home, I picked up six scallops and six large shrimp at the fish store -- and a couple of ears of corn at the local farm market.

I had two large cherry tomatoes and a green pepper at home, so that got thrown
into the pot too, along with some diced potatoes and herbs. 

The recipe is simple - Simmer the base ingredients for about 15 minutes, then add the fish in the last  few
minutes. The scallops and shrimp will need only about 4-5 minutes of cooking in the hot liquid, and since the salmon was already cooked, it willneed only a minute to heat.

I thickened the soup a bit by adding another potato that I boiled and mashed.
If you want to eliminate the cream entirely, you can replace it with water and another boiled and mashed potato. But there is no substitute for that silky feel you get when heavy cream is used.

Leftover salmon never tasted so good.

The winner of the giveaway on my last blog post, a copy of Jamie Schler's new cookbook, "Orange Appeal," is Faith Bahadurian, chosen by a random number generator. Congratulations Faith.

Want more Ciao Chow Linda? Check out my Instagram page here to see more of what I'm cooking up each day. 

You can also connect with Ciao Chow Linda here on Facebook, here for Pinterest or  here for Twitter.

Fish and Corn Chowder

Printable Recipe Here

1 six-ounce piece of leftover salmon (or start with a fresh, uncooked piece)

6 large raw shrimp

6 large scallops

2 ears of corn on the cob, scraped of the kernels

3 small potatoes, two of them diced

2 T. butter

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced green pepper

1 large garlic clove

water

1/2 cup heavy cream

parsley

thyme

salt, pepper

Devein the shrimp and put the discarded shells into a pot of water (about two

cups), along with one small potato. Cover and cook until the potato is
easily pierced with a fork. Remove the potato and set aside, and discard
the shrimp shells, retaining the water.

Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the onion, green pepper and garlic
and cook until softened. Add the water from the discarded shrimp shells
(it will be less than two cups of water after simmering) and the two
diced  (and raw) potatoes. Let the potatoes cook until almost soft, then add the
corn and cream and simmer on low for a few minutes. Add the herbs and other seasonings,
then put in the shrimp and scallops and cook for about four or five
minutes until almost cooked through. Add the cooked salmon (or if using
raw salmon, add it when you add the other seafood). Let everything cook
together gently for a few minutes without a lid, then serve.