By Chef Graham Lockwood 

Chef Graham Lockwood, of State Street Provisions, has crafted this delightfully comforting recipe for Oyster Chowder that will keep you warm throughout a cold winter night. It features oysters from our farm when they’re at their plumpest.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Salsify 
• 2 ea lemon, juiced equally divided in two bowls
• 1.5 lbs celery root (2 medium or 1 large)
• ½ c chopped leeks
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 oz white wine
• 2 c vegetable stock
• 2 c Cream
• 2 dozen oysters, shucked, with their juices (BUY HERE)
• ½ tsp salt
• Pinch of nutmeg

Process

Prepare Salsify

1. Wear gloves
2. Prepare a bowl with water plus lemon juice
3. Peel the salsifies and put them in the lemon water

To note: Salsify secretes a sticky juice that not only sticks unpleasantly but can also leave your fingers brown for a long time. Peeled black salsify turns brown quickly when exposed to air. The immersion in lemon water prevents this process so the root remains white.

Soup Garnish

1. Peel the celery root, reserve 1 lbs. of ½ inch diced celery root for the soup base. Take the rest and dice into ¼ inch by ¼ in cubes. 
2. Cut one of the Salsify roots into 1/8-inch-thick slices at an angle.  
3. Steam the vegetables in 1 tbsp butter and a little vegetable stock until soft.
4. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Soup Base

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. 
2. Add the diced celery root, salsify, and leeks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 5 to 7 minutes. 
3. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. 
4. Pour the vegetable stock, heavy cream and oyster juices into the Dutch oven, and increase heat to a medium- heat. Allow to simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.  
5. Add the oysters and cook just until the oysters curl around the edges and are heated through, about 2 minutes.  
6. Blend the soup with a hand blender and let it steep for another 5 minutes at reduced heat. 
7. Pass the soup through a fine hair sieve. Season with the salt and lemon juice.

Plating

Heat the prepared soup and arrange the garnish in warmed soup bowls. Blend the soup with a hand blender while adding some cold butter, and frothing it up. Pour the soup carefully into bowls and serve.