Friday Florida Food Fest: Minorcan Chowder and Greek Salad

The sequence of the photos below is sort of "retro".

Now, we need some of these, or it isn't real Minorcan Clam Chowder. These datil peppers are from my frozen stash since my plants got a late start and are wee tiny things at the moment.

My family relies on my Dad to start datil plants for us each year and this year his broken leg prevented that.

So, I am way behind.



Last week, my pal Kelly the clam farmer sent me a bag of live clams from his aquaculture lease. Above you see some of their tiny bodies after steaming in the shell. Live clams don't keep, although you can just freeze them in the shell for later use.
I chose to make a batch of chowder.


In the picture above, the clams have steamed in a little water so I can separate their scrumptious bodies from their shells ... and create a nice broth.

Presteam bath, they looked like this. This is about 1/3 of the total that went into my chowder pot.
These are mixed sizes, mostly just under the prime market size of 3/4 inch thickness for the appetizer trade in restaurants.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished chowder, but if you search this blog for Minorcan clam chowder, you can find that, plus the recipe.

Last weekend, at High Springs, Mrs. FC and the rest of the Southern Sisters catering team had a booth at the Pioneer Days festival.

They did really well selling strawberry pound cake, Greek salad, chicken salad croissants, and peanut brittle. Ten percent of their profits will be tithed to the charity of each sister's choice on a rotating basis.

I stopped by on the way to Junior's soccer game and bummed a Greek salad off of the "sisters". I have high Greek salad standards, most don't cut it.

This dressing was mixed on site and was wonderfully tangy, minty, and garlicy.

What's missing from the Greek salad above are the 4 steamed shrimp that decorated the top, plus the two slices of crusty bread ... I ate them before thinking to photograph.

What's hidden in the picture above is the Greek potato salad beneath the lettuce and other goodies.

Pretty darn scrumptious.