By Request

By Betty Shimabukuro

Wednesday, September 30, 1998

By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Monterey Bay Canners' chowder is ladled into
hollowed out sourdough bread loaves.

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Creamy chowder
draws raves

THIS week's recipe requests are for two hearty, creamy dishes served up at very different local eateries. Carol Young is looking for the clam chowder recipe from Monterey Bay Canners Fresh Seafood Restaurant at Pearlridge. Her family loves the soup, which is served in a bread bowl. "We think it is simply delicious," Young said.

Christine Saito, meanwhile, is after the recipe for a casserole she enjoyed at the Queen's Hospital cafeteria. It was the special of the day -- hamburger layered with noodles and a sour-cream mixture.

"It didn't look that appetizing but after a few bites, I was hooked. Although it wasn't gourmet fare, I've been thinking about it often," Saito said.

"I'll never judge hospital food as boring again."

Straight from the sources, here are the recipes. The Monterey Bay recipe is reduced in quantity, so it may not taste exactly like what you'd get at the restaurant, but the normal amount they fix over there is 50 gallons.

Nancy Parlier, general manger, says the soup is among the most popular and enduring items on the menu, very thick and tasty. The only complaint she's had about it, Parlier said, is from one diner who thought it was too thick! That's what comes from getting too used to canned soups.

The restaurant serves the soup in round sourdough-French bread loaves from the bakery at Star Markets. They're 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

Young said the soup reminds her of chowder she enjoyed when living in San Francisco. It's even a little better than what she's had at some restaurants by the bay, she said. "It brings back warm memories."

New England clam chowder

Monterey Bay Canners

2/3 pounds butter
2-1/4 pounds flour
1-1/2 pounds diced potatoes
1 quart whole milk
2 ounces bacon, diced
1/3 cup carrots, diced
1-1/2 cups celery, diced
2-1/4 onions, diced
1-3/4 quarts water
2.5 ounces clam base (see note)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons thyme
1/16 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 bay leaf
5 pounds clams
1 quart half-and-half

Make a roux by melting butter in pan and adding flour; mix well. Place in a 300-degree oven, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes, mixing every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Parboil potatoes until half done. Remove from pot. Heat milk to 190 degrees and remove from pot. Render bacon; do not brown. Add vegetables and saute until half done.

Add water, clam base and spices. Bring to a boil and let boil five minutes. Add the roux gradually, mixing well with a wire whip. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add clams, warm milk, half and half and potatoes. Mix well. Bring to a light simmer.

Remove from pot and cool, mixing occasionally. Makes 18 8-ounce servings. Serve in hollowed out sourdough-French bread loaves, if desired.

Note: Clam base is a very thick soup stock that can be found at Strawberry Connection (842-0278) and the Kitchen and Spice Co. (735-6393). It is not the same as clam juice.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving, without bread: 450 calories, 24 g total fat, 14 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol,940 mg sodium.*

Sour cream and hamburger
layered casserole

Queen's Medical Center Food Service Department

2 pounds lean hamburger
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon EACH salt, pepper and sugar
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 8-ounce tub sour cream
3 cups cooked narrow noodles
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Paprika to garnish

Brown beef in 1 tablespoon margarine. Add garlic, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer about 20 minutes.

Beat cream cheese with a fork until fluffy, then add sour cream and green onions.

Using the remaining margarine, grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch dish and layer the ingredients as follows: beef, noodles, cream cheese mixture. Top with grated cheddar. Lightly sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 810 calories, 58 g total fat, 30 g saturated fat, 210 mg.*

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.