Tonight, though, all I had the energy to do was take a picture of my dinner. I was getting hungry this afternoon along about 5:00, so I wandered into the kitchen to see what I could find. Sadly, the grocery elves have been slacking recently, and stocks were low. Funny how that happens.
However, I do have a good store of dehydrated foods. I also found a can of salmon, and that got me thinking. From my seemingly bare fridge and pantry I was able to make a FANTASTIC dinner of salmon and corn chowder.
Everything in this recipe except the milk was a stored food, even the cream (frozen when it was on sale around Thanksgiving). It was wonderful to browse my dehydrated food shelves and have lots of options. Corn, potatoes, hmmm, how about some carrots? Ok, peas? Not this time. Onions, parsley, garlic, yep.
It was relatively quick, too. From idea to bowl was just under an hour, and that included the soaking time! Actual time in the kitchen was much less than an hour, since everything was pre-chopped before dehydrating. Except for sauteing the onions, it was literally just throwing things into a pot and waiting for the magic to happen.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Salmon Corn Chowder
4-6 servings
1.5 cups dehydrated corn
3 cups water
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3 T dehydrated onion
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp bacon fat
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1 cup dehydrated diced potato
1/3 cup dehydrated sliced carrot
1 T dehydrated chopped celery
1 T dehydrated parsley
1 tsp dehydrated chopped garlic
4 cups chicken stock (home made, frozen)
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14 oz (1 can) salmon, drained and crumbled
1 cup milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
Add the corn and water to a large stock pot and soak for about 20 minutes. At the same time, add the hot water to the onion in a bowl and rehydrate for 15 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from the onions into the stock pot, and saute the onions in bacon fat until tender. Add onions, remaining dehydrated ingredients, and chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until all vegetables are cooked and tender. Add salmon, milk, and cream. Heat through, stirring well.
