Chanterelle Chowder

Another hybrid fresh-leftover victory

This idea occurred because I had a dozen live clams and some sautéed chanterelles that needed using, but it really came together because of a) boiled new potatoes tossed in basil-carrot top pesto that I had made over the weekend and b) the shallot cream I wrote about the other day. Once again: when your kitchen produces a steady flow of leftovers and condiments or sauces with high potential energy, great meals are an easy coast downhill. You could absolutely make this from scratch using all the ingredients that went into the component parts, but it would take a lot longer and the result wouldn’t have the added value that definitely accrues to some prepared dishes when they sit in the fridge for a day or three.

Let’s dig into how I built this, and why it added up to one of the best bowls of soup I’ve eaten in quite some time (and that’s saying something, because I make variations on this noodle soup with tinned fish pretty often).