Clam Chowder

[pdswife]

Clam chowder

3 cans (10 oz) chopped clams
1/2 pound bacon
3 cups peeled and cubed small potatoes
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup whole milk
2 cups 1/2 and 1/2 (not the fat free kind!!)
2 tablespoons flour


Drain clams. Save the juice and set aside.

In large pan cook the bacon till crisp. Remove 1/2 of the bacon grease.

In the same pan combine bacon drippings, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, clam juice (NOT THE CLAMS), potatoes, onions and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Wth the back of a fork mash potatoes slightly against the side of the pan. Combine milk, cream and flour till smooth. Add to potato mixture. Cook and stir till slightly thickened. Add the clams and bring back to a boil reduce heat to low and cook for 1 more minute.

I add a teaspoon or two of butter to each bowl of soup right before serving.

Yummy! I'll be making this again Sunday!

 

[mudbug]

hoo-boy does this sound terrific. too bad I bought those 3 cans of chowder yesterday. maybe I can talk someone else in the house into eating them so I can have this....................

 

[Juliev]

YUMMY!... that is the strange thing about me.. I hate clams by themselves, but I love New England and Manhattan chowders. And, if someone is on a diet and coming to this site, there is something wrong!

 

[pdswife]

Eat the cans of chowder first.

After you try this soup.. you'll never be able to enjoy canned again.!!!

Enjoy!!

 

[Lifter]

Can you describe, more closely, what you mean by "clams"?

I can get "clams" at the local fishmongers or superstores, but lack the understanding of "what sort", (and why!), and how and what to do with them...can certainly follow the balance of instructions, if I could just grasp what I'm looking for when I open the shell...

Aside from that, any suggestions on a Manhatten recipe?

Lifter

 

[lyndalou]

Lifter,

The recipe from pdswife calls for canned clams. I would use the Groton's chopped clams.

For fresh clams I'd get quahogs, but if unavailable, your fish person should be able to make a suggestion.

There is a book called 50 Chowders written by Jasper White that can give you many different variations of chowder.

 

[choclatechef]

Now This is what I call clam chowder! Can't wait to try it.

 

[buckytom]

i just saw an episode of america's (uptight) test kitchen, and they rated cherrystones as the best for chowdah. i think they said quahogs (how do you pronounce that? ko-hog or kway-hog?) were too much belly, and get too tough.

 

[lyndalou]

Buckytom, I have used both the Quahogs and Cherrystones with good results.
I pronounce it kwahogs.

 

[PolishedTopaz]

LOL buck.....silly man it's pronounced quahog, just as it's written qua-hog. <shaking head giggling> Silly, move to Long Island we'll show ya! BTW, how would you pronounce Quogue, Noyak or Montauk.

 

[Lifter]

I keep telling my wife its not "hot flashes", its her "inner child" playing with matches...

But lets go with your version...

Lifter

 

[chefben]

Clam Chodwer

Here is an Australian Version of Clam Chowder using native Australian herbs and spices.

http://www.benjaminchristie.com/recipe/44/australian-clam-chowder-with-wildfire-spice

 

[marmalady]

Lifter, here's a Manhattan chowdah recipe I've used for years -

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Makes about 3 quarts

2 bottles clam juice
1 ½ cups minced clams
1 14oz.can plum tomatoes
1 can vegetable stock
1 med. onion, diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 cups potatoes diced
1 med. carrot, diced
3 bay leaves
2tsp. dry thyme, or 2T fresh
½ cup minced parsley
½ tsp. cayenne
salt/pepper
4T olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic

Heat olive oil in stockpot; saute onion, celery, carrot, garlic, til soft but not brown. Add clam juice, vegetable stock, tomatoes, potatoes, thyme, bay, and cayenne; bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about an hour til potatoes are tender. Add clams, salt/pepper and simmer 5-10 more minutes. Adjust seasoning.
For a more tomatoey chowder, use 1 bottle clam juice, no vegetable stock, and in place use 2 cups V-8 juice.


Chefben - Your recipes look interesting, but without access to ingredients from Oz, they're a little unattainable for most of us!

 

[Erik]

I made a nice 5 gallon batch of New England Clam Chowdah today!!!

 

[buckytom]

wow! 5 gallons!?! when should we be there? i'll bring the round loaves to make bread bowls...

 

[Erik]

Come to the Stray Dog Bar and Grill in New Buffalo, Michigan tomorrow.

We've got plebty of bread bowls!!!

 

[buckytom]

lol, erik, is that where you work? and can i get refills till my bread bowl gets soggy and loses it's structural integrity?

 

[Erik]

Yep, that's where I work...And if you show up...you can have all you can handle!!!

 

[pdswife]

Now This is what I call clam chowder! Can't wait to try it.

Hope you like it as much as we do.
As with most soups.. it's even better the next day.

 

[SierraCook]

pdswife, every year I try to bring a dish that I have never bought before to our Super Bowl Party. This would be great. Plus it is getting to be that soup time of the year again. I don't like clams any other way, but I love clam chowder.