Scrumptious smoked salmon chowder

It is official. I'm no longer a chowder virgin and it feels good. For years I have heard people raving about chowder, but the second I look at a photo of the thick soup I'm immediately turned off. Texture is a funny thing for me and if something is sickly thick, it is a no go. Colour is also important and a thick white soup is probably as bad as it can get. I may not have researched chowders as well as I should have, but pretty much all the ones I have encountered have been exactly that, thick and white.

Today I had half a pack of smoked salmon trimmings in the fridge. The rest had been used for a salad and for an omelette and I wanted something else, so I dove into the Pinterest Jungle. After only a couple of minutes elbowing my way through salads, pasta and wraps I came across a chowder. No thanks. 

Well, hold on. This one wasn't white and it didn't look sickly thick. Perhaps it was worth a look. Oh boy, am I glad I looked! It was beautiful, when adapted of course. The recipe called for heavy cream. Pfffft, as if... Not in my kitchen, where Greek yogurt rules.

I have no idea how many portions the original recipe made, but my version made two and a dribble. The dribble is for my other half, who will unfortunately (for him) arrive him after I have had the leftover bowl tomorrow. I will save some for him to try though, because I'm not evil. Or perhaps that's worse. Should I eat it all and save him from wanting more when there isn't any?

To tell you the truth, I didn't even look at the measures when reading the recipe, so I shall just show you what I used. In regards to seasoning, I measured on a hip, as we say back home. That means using my own judgement rather than different sized spoons.

To make this awesome chowder, you need:

1 pepper, diced

2 potatoes, diced (I happened to have to different kinds)

1 chunk of celeriac, diced (I used half of the pictured one)

1 carrot, diced

1 onion, chopped

4 small garlic cloves, finely chopped

paprika

dill

fennel seeds, crushed

thyme

basil

salt & pepper if needed (I didn't need any)

Greek yogurt

cream cheese

chilli paste

tomato puree

smoked salmon, chopped

Please disregard the lemon juice in photo 3. It was in the recipe soI got it out, but I didn't use it. You can if you want to, of course. Taste test first. If you use a cream cheese with flavour, you may not need it. The same goes for salt and pepper. I didn't use any.

1. Get the vegetables out.

2. Get the seasoning out.

3. Get the rest of the stuff out.

There should be a stock cube in this photo, but the bugger escaped the camera. The recipe called for chicken stock, but I used the vegetable variety instead and chicken cubes are now on my shopping list.

4. Get chopping.

I opted for small dice. 

5. Soften the butter in a little oil.

The recipe said to fry off bacon and add butter and use the fat for softening the onion. Not in my world. I used olive oil.

6. Add all the diced vegetables and the garlic. Fry for a little while and add a drop of water if it starts to stick. While that's cooking, crush the fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar.

7. Add the seasoning and mix well.

8. Add the tomato puree and chilli paste. Mix well.

I probably used 1.5 tbsp puree and 0.5 tsp paste.

9. Crumble in a stock cube and add water. Leave to simmer until the vegetables are soft enough to eat and the chowder has thickened a bit from the broken down potatoes.

I used 1 pint of water.

10. Add 1 tbsp cream cheese.

I used one with garlic and herbs, which added even more flavour.

11. Add 2-3 tbsp Greek yogurt, depending on how creamy you want it and the smoked salmon. Mix well.

12. Leave warm up for a minute, but don't let it boil.

13. Serve and enjoy.

I really loved this chowder. It wasn't white and thick, but orange and lush. It had my name written all over it and I shall claim it as mine. Chowder a la Mia... Chowmia!