New England Clam Chowder, Recipes and Restaurants 2814

Louis Cohen wrote on 23 Jun 2006 in rec.food.cooking

Before I went low carb I used to make a batch of this once every other month or so. I kinda cobbled it together from 4 or 5 net searched recipes. Perhaps you might try the same thing...read 9 or 10 seafood recipes add all the common items and only the extra items you'd like. A little hot sauce in this is good too, but watch it as the flavour of a clam chowder is easy to hide/mask/distort.

Alan's Corn And Clam Chowder

Soups/Chowders, soup

3-6 slices bacon; chopped 3 cups Clam stock (liquid from the canned clams) 1 large onion; chopped 1 stalk leeks white only; sliced thin 2 ribs celery; chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped 1 red bell pepper; chopped 0.5 teaspoon dried rosemary 0.5 teaspoon dried taragon 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme 3 cups half and half 1 lb red-skinned potatoes, peeled,; 1/2 inch diced 1 8 oz bottle clam juice 1 15 oz can can creamed corn 3 10 oz cans baby clams /juice from cans; added earlier salt and pepper; to taste

just in case instant potatoes see note; for thickening

Use the pot you are going to make the chowder in. A thick bottomed pot w lid. SautŽ bacon in heavy medium pot over medium heat until fat begins to render, about 3 minutes. Add onion, celery, leek,red pepper and carrot and sautŽ until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add thyme and other spices; stir 30 seconds. Thyme is very good in this. Add potatoes, clam juice, juice from clam cans and clam stock . Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Variable depends on size of dice. Add creamed corn and clams with juices plus the half and half; simmer about 2 minutes. Careful here don't over cook clams. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Note: If the broth is too thin, thicken by adding instant potatoes (1 or 2 handfuls is usually enough). Do not over-cook as clams will get chewy. It doesn't take long to thicken with instant potatoes...on or off the heat. Just stir lots. The flaked instant potatoes work better, don't clump up as much.

You need a big pot.

Yield: 25 servings

** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.74 **

-- -Alan