Frogmore??

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

Gumbos, Soups & Stews....Oh My!
Ironically, just a few days ago I saw a thread here on the forum regarding a "boil" and even a mention of "low country" cooking! With that said: Any additional information about my soup and / or a boil and / or additional information about this "low country" style of cooking would be greatly appreciated.
With our weather dropping from the 80's to the 20's in the past two weeks, I'm in stew, chili, soup mode of late. Thus far, during our "cool weather" I've done a chili, beef stew and a gumbo....I love doing gumbos!
Yesterday, however it was a bit of a twist....With "some" ingredients and a method that will not qualify as a "Gumbo" but makes a great soup.
I saw a recipe in the Mpls. Star Tribune "Taste" section a few years ago that really fired my missile. It sounded like sort of Gumbo, seemed very interesting, and I just had to give it a try!
Not much information was shared in regard to the origins of the recipe in the Trib. column, other than it being a "Carolina low country favorite". With that bit of info. my curiosity got the best of me regarding the recipe title "Frogmore Soup".........
Town of Frogmore, Frogmore Township, Frogmore County, Frogmore family, Frog Town.....Frog??.....?? I just had to find something, anything!
I spent some time (not a lot) researching, and I did find some info: There is a town of Frogmore on St. Helena Island of South Carolina. It's located south of Charleston and just up coast (north) of Hilton Head Island, with the two islands separated by Port Royal Sound.
The "soup", according to what I have found, most likely started life as a regional "Picnic Boil" of sausage, corn on the cob and shrimp, but has evolved into a soup by adding as you go, which is in the true SC low country manor of "throw-it-in-if-you-have-it"!
Add to that my "gee, what if I were to add some of this..." and this soup has morphed and will most likely continue to morph!
In short, this is not the actual recipe that was in the Trib. as I took the recipe and ran with it a bit, stirring, tasting, snorting and adding....tasting, snorting, adding and stirring some more as I went along!!
I will say however, that my recipe is very close to that published and does follow the method outlined in the article. I have now done this soup a number of times and I feel that I've come up with a great taste treat with it's origins set on our Southern, East Coast!
Anyway, here's my twist on a "Carolina low country Traditional" (or so I'm told, and please feel free to chime) that has turned out to be a real favorite here at my house many miles away in Northern MN. It really is a wonderful meal, anytime a hearty soup is desired.
So here are a couple of pics, with the recipe to follow.

In my CI Dutch oven doing a good simmer with everything except the corn and shrimp already in the pot.


Plated!! As per usual, it was really tasty, but a bit on the salty side of life this go-round!



FROGMORE SOUP
North Portage Smoke-Shack
From JB with inspiration from United Features Syndicate / Star Tribune, Taste (Ross & Mills)
Serves 6 (or more)

1 lg. onion and 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
6 - "B" size (smaller) Red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite size cubes
2 Lg. carrots, peeled & chopped
3 to 4 cloves minced garlic
About 1 lb. (3 to 4) chicken breasts.
1 lb. top quality smoked kielbasa. .
2 C. fresh or frozen, whole kernel sweet corn
16 to 24 oz. of a dark ale
1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth
1 C. water (more may be needed during the cook)
1 T. Old Bay seasoning
1 lb. of peeled,divined med. shrimp
salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
A few dashes of a pepper sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes, fresh chopped hot peppers..... (to taste)

Start and stabilize a fire at 300 F. or even slightly less.
Set up the Egg for an indirect cook: Plate setter (legs down), grid or other spacer between the setter and the pot.

1)) In a stock pot / Dutch oven, bring to a boil the chicken broth and water. Add the chicken breast and sausage, cooking until the chicken is opaque. Remove the meats and dice (cut into 1/2" cubes) both meats. Returning them to the stock.

2)) Chop the onion, carrots and potatoes, add to the stock. Continue the simmer.

3)) Add all the remaining ingredients, except the shrimp, cover and slow simmer for at least 45 minutes.

4)) Add the shrimp and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Season with a bit of salt,. fresh ground pepper and additional pepper sauce, as deemed needed.

And......
Buy two large bottles (European pints), or a six pack, of the dark ale; drink some while you are making the soup!
My only word of caution is in regard to the sausage used. I have, in the past, always used either home made (smoked or fresh) or locally produced smoked (kielbasa) sausage. Yesterday, however, I used John Morrell Polska Kielbasa. WOW, it got salty and I didn't even add ANY salt! I have to think that the EXTRA saltiness had to have come from the sausage!

Matt_inSC

Looks awesome!
For clarification, in case anyone out there was not raised in the southeast (which we would consider 'not raised right') , or hasn't heard the term before, this is pronounced Frog-maw.
I'd hate to have a fellow egger get the evil eye by a poorly-mannered southerner at the mention of 'Frog-more' stew.'

Grand Oeuf Vert

I must give that I try. Looks great!

Ross in Ventura

Thanks for the recipe

Ross

AZRP

Pretty similar, we call it a low country boil. -RP

fishlessman

looks great. heres a newengland style, we usually add small chicken lobsters to the boil with the steamers and mussels. broth is reserved in small bowls to dip/rinse the clams before the butter dip. hotdogs are also added for the kids. funny everyone thinks its a southern dish :laugh: for something even more different look for portuguese recipes called rotten pot, another version of a one pot cook
http://www.recipezaar.com/New-England-Portuguese-Clam-Boil-279903

Misippi Egger

Down here in the Deep South we do the same thing with our shrimp or crawfish boils.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil after adding quartered onions, cut links of sausage, whole corn cut in 2 pieces, button mushrooms, and generous amounts of crab boil. Boil for 20 minutes, then add shrimp or crawfish and cook per the instructions on the crab boil.