Melissa Hemsley's secret address book of gems, plus a treasured recipe for chowder
Did you know cooking for Take That changed Melissa's life? Neither did I… Here are her JTs to remember. And Nana surely knows best when it comes to cooking a fragrant potful of east-coast comfort food
"I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
– LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
First of all, a hop, skip and a thank you to everyone who’s subscribed to KB’s Joyous Things: the numbers of free subscribers has just this week tipped over the thousand mark, which I’m staggered by as I’ve only been doing this for three months and I’m still working out what’s best, day by day, with your input. Talking of which, I’d love to know more about what you’d like to read, so do tell me in the comments below.
A quiet PS: Upgrading to paid helps to keep this endeavour going but, as ever, only if you have the wherewithal. Everyone is welcome. And a reminder that you can’t pay-subscribe via the app, only via the Substack website or link in an email. Clicking on the button below doesn’t commit you to anything, I promise – it just tells you the details.
I’m delighted to welcome special guests to today’s newsletter. I first discovered Jonathan and Stacey Edgerton – aka @thegentlemanfarmerinmaine – a few years ago on Instagram, drawn into their life and world on a farm in rural New England and watching, through their faraway lens, as the seasons changed from summer heat haze to misty autumn mornings and the first fall of snow in winter. The snow was sometimes so deep that they decided on a new way of determining its depth…
Recently, Jonathan wrote a post about the just-perceptible moment when you recognise the season has shifted from late summer to autumn. As soon as I read his words I got in touch to ask if he’d expand a little and share his and Stacey’s recipe for one of New England’s most iconic and comforting dishes: chowder. What a soup! In my view it’s right up there among the world’s great dishes: creamy, wholesome, flavourful and satisfying (happiness in four words).
Over to Jonathan…
“Every year, at about this time, there comes a day where it feels as though somebody’s flipped a switch in terms of the weather. Cool nights, misty mornings, longer shadows, and the bees seem to be going about their business with a different level of urgency. And with all of that, my cravings for food are in transition. It’s no longer salade niçoise and a glass of chilled rosé under the pergola – I’m craving robust soups and stews and roasts.
“When it came to food, my parents and grandparents gravitated to the traditional dishes of their forebears, and many of those meals still constitute my idea of comfort food. Fish chowder was a favourite, and in our home it’s always been made with my paternal grandmother’s recipe. In all honesty, I’ve never found a fish chowder I liked more. If you can get your hands on a decent fillet of haddock, there’s no better way to celebrate the change of seasons and the onset of cooler weather… Food traditions are the best traditions!”
A big yes to that. Here, below, is Jonathan’s family recipe…
Nana’s fish chowder
2 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz salt pork or bacon
1 medium onion, peeled
2 tbsp butter
1 large clove garlic, peeled
3 medium potatoes, peeled
3 tbsp dry white vermouth
1 cup water
½ teasp salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 or 3 bay leaves
½ teasp dried oregano
½ teasp chopped fresh parsley
600–700g/1½lb haddock fillet, skin removed
355ml (that’s 12 US fl oz) canned evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
To serve: crusty bread and/or saltine crackers
METHOD
Pour the olive oil into the bottom of a large pot. Cut the salt pork (or bacon) and the onion into small pieces (approx 0.5cm) and fry gently in the olive oil until the onion becomes tender and translucent. Add the butter and garlic (roughly chopped) and continue frying until the garlic begins to soften, but be careful not to brown the garlic.
Cut the potatoes into small cubes – a little bigger than a centimetre in size. Add to the pot with the vermouth and water. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano and parsley. Lay the haddock on top, cover the pan and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the evaporated milk and the whole milk, then stir gently. Heat to just below a boil, then allow to cool. Cover and chill – the chowder is best if it’s allowed to sit for several hours or overnight before serving.
Warm through, then serve the chowder with buttered hunks of crusty bread or saltine crackers.
Note from KB: Saltines are hard to get in the UK but Jacob’s Cream Crackers work as a substitute, although they’re nothing like as salty. Break up and scatter over just before serving. In the US, Jonathan says Crown Pilot Biscuits used to be the crackers they would serve with chowder, but you can’t get those any more – so saltines or cream crackers it is!
Read on for Melissa Hemsley’s Joyous Things, including her story of cooking for Take That, her favourite places to eat and escape to (I’ve already booked two), a joyful TV scene featuring breakfast in a bubble-filled bath, the gadget she uses all the time in the kitchen, tidiness goals – and her wisdom on the vital value of food. It’s Hemsley joy and it’s Hemsley gold…