In which we are good at making food and here's a new soup recipe

This time of year, "eating locally" is not a challenge.

The beginning stage of smoked salmon/lobster mushroom chowder
with garden vegetables

When we "caught" a huge bag full of lobster mushrooms while riding,  Patty wanted to know how I intended to cook my share.

This is just one lobster mushroom,
and it's bigger than my two hands with fingers stretched out!

I ended up making two batches of smoked salmon/lobster mushroom chowder.  Since the lobsters are plentiful this year, I figured people might want a recipe that uses them up. 

As always with my recipes, there are no measurements, and I encourage you to add/subtract/omit/substitute at will.  It's more like a guideline, anyhow.

Smoked Salmon/Lobster Mushroom Chowder

Cook until very crisp:

A strip or two of bacon.  Reserve the bacon grease.

Sautee in the bacon grease until transparent:

Onion.  I used a red onion, use whatever you've got.

Garlic

Into the soup pot:

Raw vegetables:  corn, celery, peas, white beans, potatoes, butternut squash, or whatever else is handy.

The bacon: I use scissors to cut bacon into little pieces.  Is that weird?

Onion and garlic: sauteed above

Soup stock:  vegetable stock if you have it, chicken is also good.  If you don't have stock, water is fine.

Smoked salmon:  I used about half a pound of smoked salmon, chunked into thumbnail-sized pieces

Lobster mushroom:  About as much mushroom as salmon by volume, cut into chunks.

I used a crock pot. but a stove-top pot works too.  Set the heat low, and let it bubble for a couple of hours while you're outside fixing fence or splitting wood.  Stir sometimes.  

Ten minutes before serving, stir in:

Heavy cream or half-and-half.  Use as much as you like.  Avoid fat-free half-and-half, that stuff is nasty.  This is not a diet food.

Top with cajun spices, or dill.  Or fresh basil?  Or whatever you have.  

Let the soup come back up to a very gentle bubble and serve in pretty bowls, with sourdough bread if possible.  Or not.  Whatever you have is good.