Celebrating National Soup Month

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - January 17, 2012 (WPVI) -- Technically, you could celebrate National Soup Month by opening a can or microwaving something. But if you're up for something special, consider Center City's Oyster House.

Executive Chef Andrew Kitko has whipped up fish chowder so special it takes three days to make each batch. He says it's a Boston-style creation, rich with smoked and fresh cod, vegetables, seasonings including smoked paprika, and cream.

Why three days? The chef says many things you make at home taste better the next day. In addition, the fish stock he creates takes a day to make. So you're at three days per batch, and that means he always has three batches in process at any given time.

The first day, he cooks down cleaned whitefish bones and the heads...home of tasty meat that happens to come in pieces too small to serve. These simmer for about an hour, then are left to settle. A day later, he's ready to harvest the clear broth from that pot and move on to the next step. On day two, he adds vegetables and cream and there's a second simmer. That cools overnight, and then, on day three, he adds generous quantities of flaked fish. With a little seasoning on top, it's ready to serve.

Most restaurant soups are house-made in a day or less. So is this soup worth three days worth of effort? Chef Kitko says anything worth serving to guests deserves whatever it takes to make it the best it can be.

He's proud of his Soup Month creation, and is considering serving it daily through the cold weather months. A serving, by the way, is far more than a cup's worth.

Many guests find they need nothing else to make a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Oyster House is located at 1516 Sansom Street in Center City, open daily except Sunday at 11:00am. For information or reservations, phone 215-567-7683. Or visit them online at Oyster House .

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