Throwback of the House: Hunger's the Best Sauce for Reuben Chowder

By Robin Wheeler Tue., Sep. 8 2009 at 11:30 AM

Categories: In the Kitchen, Throwback of the House

Todd Ehlers, Wikimedia Commons

A special Tuesday edition of Throwback...

You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry. It's a horrible sight to behold. Although I have enough body fat to keep me alive in the wild for the better part of a month, if I go an hour past mealtime without a feeding, there's hell to pay.

My loved ones have seen the wrath of the fat, hungry food writer, and they work to keep the beast at bay, which probably explains why I'm usually not hungry when I make my Throwback recipes. Or at any other time, for that matter. To prevent the hunger-induced rants, my husband throws granola bars at me as if he were trying to fend off a starving bear with live salmon.

Being well-fed provides the luxury of pickiness, so it's pretty easy for me to snob it up on most recipes.

Robin Wheeler

I knew I'd hate the Reuben Chowder recipe from 1983's Better Homes and Gardens Soups and Stews Cook Book. Canned corned beef pisses me off almost as much as hunger itself. But as a little experiment, I opted to fast in preparation.

Robin Wheeler

Mix a can of cream of celery soup with milk, shredded processed Swiss cheese and a can of drained sauerkraut that's been snipped. Since the kraut appeared to be neutered, I assumed I was supposed to stick a pair of scissors into the can and cut. Heat that mess, make some rye toast points and dice a can of corned beef. Stir the beef into the soup until the glaring sheen of fat renders.