RECIPE: Oyster Stew

One of the best parts of our annual day-after Thanksgiving oyster roast are the day-after the oyster roast leftovers. If you are going to go all out calorie-wise this weekend anyway, you might as well cap it off with a creamy, bacon-laden oyster stew. This is not a traditional oyster stew (it is probably closer to a chowder) and purists might take issue with this recipe for having too many additions (bacon! potatoes! corn! oh the horror!), but it sure is tasty.

INGREDEINTS:

4 strips bacon, diced
One yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. dry white wine
2 Yukon or red-skinned potatoes, cut into small cubes
2/3 c. frozen corn
2 c. seafood stock (you may need more if you don't have much liquor - adjust as needed until you get the desired consistency).
.5t Old Bay seasoning
.5 c. heavy cream
3 dozen raw oysters and liquid* (if your oysters are huge, you may want to chop in half, but otherwise leave them whole)
Chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste**

In a large pot, cook the bacon until about halfway done then add the onion. Cook together until the bacon is crisp, then add the garlic, cooking for one more minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the raw flour smell is gone. Add wine and stir. Add the next 5 ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Add oysters and reserved liquid and cook until edges begin to curl - don't overcook! If the stew seems too thick, add a bit more stock. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with chopped chives.

*When shucking, Be sure to save the liquor from the oysters to add to the pot.
** Do not add any salt until AFTER you have added the oysters and liquor as some oysters and their liquor are very salty. You may not need any additional salt at all.