Smoked Salmon Chowder
Ingredients
4 T Butter
1-2 large onions, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
2 cups white wine ( I used Vermouth, which I find is a great cooking wine)
14 oz water
10-12 medium sized red potatoes (would also be good with Yukon's or yellow finns too, I don't recommend Russets, but then I don't like dissolved potatoes)
2-3 cups frozen corn
1 T dried Tarragon
1/4 t chili pepper
1 1/2 t salt
Dash pepper
1 can coconut milk
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 lb smoked salmon
Preparation
In large soup pot, melt butter over medium to low heat, add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are soft and almost see through. Add chicken broth, wine, potatoes, tarragon, salt, pepper and chili pepper, then stir. Add enough water so that the potatoes are almost covered. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add coconut milk and non-dairy milk, stir.
At this point you have a really good potato and corn chowder that is relatively cheap to make and can stand on its own for dinner. The icing on the cake is the smoked salmon (or any smoked fish) which really adds a lot of flavor to the soup. Take the smoked salmon and tear into small to medium pieces, it will get smaller during the cooking process, so don't make them too small.
If you can't afford smoked salmon or it isn't easily available, I recommend frying 5 strips of bacon until crisp, then crumble them and add them to the soup.
Simmer for 10 min or more, until you are ready to serve. Very good with hot fresh bread and the flavor is even better the next day.