Anticiplate

Sunday Night Dinner. A weekly tradition. A bunch of hungry boys over six-feet tall. And me.

This is a recipe from a cookbook that I got from my mother in law, Colleen, for Christmas. I love it because it is titled “Big Night In”, which is of course right up my alley. Every single recipe in the book could be cooked for Sunday Night Dinner. And will be.

What you see to the left of the soup is a popover. Yes. I know, it looks nothing like a popover. I used popover batter and ended up putting it in muffin tins. Delicious, but definitely not “popping” over the muffin tin. Rob, however, made me make a second batch.

Serves 8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

*A recipe from Domenica Marchetti

4 slices thick smoky bacon, cut- crosswise into 1/2 inch strips

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 lb. organic smoked cooked ham, cut into a 1/2 inch dice

2 small boneless organic pork chops, cut into a 1/2 inch dice

2 large yellow onions, diced

4 jalepeno peppers, minced

2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 green belle peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

5 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 fresh bay leaves

5 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. chipotle powder

1/2 c. unbleached a.p. flour

8 c. chicken stock

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen corn

1 c. half-and-half

In a LARGE dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot cook the bacon over medium-heat until brown and begins to render its fat. Add the butter, ham, and pork chops and cook until meat is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the onions and jalepenos and saute , stirring often, until onions are translucent. Stir in red and green peppers, potatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Saute another 5 minutes.

Add the salt, smoked and sweet paprika, and chipotle powder and stir to combine. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir to prevent clumps. (If your pan is getting too full, this would be a good time to separate the dish*).

Pour in a cup of chicken stock and stir well to combine with the flour. Gradually add in the other 7 c. of stock (or less) depending on how thick you like your chowder. Cover the pot partially and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Stir in the corn and half-and-half and bring the chowder to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

*Also, just a suggestion for this recipe (because it uses every pork product plus every vegetable known to man): get a really LARGE pot. If you don’t have a large pot, then use two medium sized pots and split the recipe in half and cook it in two pots.