Reuben Chowder — A Bowl Worth the Time It Takes

The year is almost done and I've been doing the thing I do at the end of years, which is not resolutions — I gave up on resolutions in my twenties when I understood that they're mostly about shame rather than change — but rather a straightforward accounting. What happened. What held. What didn't. Whether the direction of travel was right, even when the pace was slow.

2019 in plain terms: three years sober turns to almost two. Wait — two years. I keep doing that arithmetic wrong when I'm tired. I got sober January 1, 2018. Tuesday is January 1, 2020. Two years. The number is larger in my chest than it is on paper.

I think about the night I decided, which wasn't a dramatic moment. I didn't hit a bottom in the cinematic sense. I was sitting in the truck outside a bar in Billings — I'd driven two hours to a bar where no one knew me — and I sat in the parking lot for an hour and didn't go in and then drove home. That was it. That was the decision, or one version of it. The version I've chosen to remember as the start.

What 2019 was: twelve accounts growing to thirteen. The elk chili finally right. The Salina trip, Linda Owens, standing at Derek's headstone. The essay about place. Jen, and what Jen taught me about the parts of myself I'm still figuring out. The farrier certification, nearly done. Dad's hands.

I made soup for New Year's Eve — French onion, the three-hour version with a dozen onions caramelized down to almost nothing, beef stock made from neck bones I'd saved, cognac-free because I make it without the cognac and use Worcestershire instead for that same dark depth. Broiled with Gruyere on top. Ate it at the kitchen table at nine-thirty and went to bed before midnight. This is how I prefer to spend New Year's. Quietly, eating something that took a long time to make. Grateful for the labor of it.

The French onion I made that night was mine in the way a recipe becomes yours after enough repetitions—I know it by instinct now, by the color of the onions and the smell of the stock. But if you want to bring that same spirit of slow, earned warmth to your own table without the three-hour commitment, this Reuben Chowder is the recipe I’d hand you. It has that same quality the French onion has: depth you can’t rush, a payoff that feels proportional to the attention you gave it, something worth sitting down to at the end of a long year.

Reuben Chowder

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 12 oz corned beef, roughly chopped or shredded
• 1 cup sauerkraut, well-drained and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
• Rye bread croutons or toasted rye bread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Sauté aromatics. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until softened and beginning to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Build the base. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic and stir to coat, cooking for 2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.
3. Add liquid. Gradually whisk in the beef broth and water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the broth begins to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the main ingredients. Stir in the corned beef, drained sauerkraut, caraway seeds, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
5. Finish with cream and cheese. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream and 1 cup of the shredded Swiss cheese. Cook gently, stirring, until the cheese is fully melted and the soup is hot throughout—do not boil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top each with a pinch of the remaining Swiss cheese. Serve with toasted rye bread or croutons alongside if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 29g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 1020mg