Recipe: Clam Chowder
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Mama B
Hello, My Friends! Although the weather has cleared up and the sun is sort of back, there is a nip in the air and the wind gusts through our valley with a bit of an icy bite, and it has put me in the mood for some homemade chowder. I am a huge fan of clam chowder, and my mom made the BEST! Try as I may, I cannot get my clam chowder to taste like my mom's. On occasion, I will use the following recipe, simply because I can get this one to taste as near to Mom's as I can. I say "on occasion" because I have the pickiest eaters on the planet in my family - they don't like the "white stuff" - they only like the "red stuff". I do have one son (and a sister) who prefer this to the "red stuff". I have fond memories of coming home from school on a cold winter's day and smelling the wonderful aroma of mom's clam chowder. Clam Chowder (aka: the White Stuff") 1 cup finely diced celery 1 cup finely diced carrot 1cup finely diced onion 1 cup diced potato 2 cups water 7 cups milk 1 cup margarine, melted 1 cup flour 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 cup milk 1 10 oz. can baby clams with juice Parsley for garnish Put first 5 ingredients in a large pot, cover and simmer until tender. Do not drain. In dutch oven, heat first amount of milk. in a medium sized bowl, mix together the melted margarine, flour, salt, and pepper. Add second amount of milk and whisk all together until smooth. Pour into hot milk and stir until boiling and it thickens. Add veggies and their liquid. Add the clams and their juice. You can add more clams if you want. Heat through. I usually serve this in a bread bowl and garnish it with the parsley. This makes about 12 cups. (I always saute either bacon or salt pork in the large pot before adding the first five ingredients. just gives it a bit more yum to the chowder) Here's the recipe for the "Red Stuff" better known as Manhattan Clam Chowder. 3 slices of bacon, diced 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup finely chopped celery 1 10 oz. can minced clams 3 cups water 1/2 cup clam juice 1 14 oz. can of tomatoes, broken up 2 cups diced potatoes 1 cup diced carrot 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp thyme 2 tbsp flour 1/4 cup water In a dutch oven, saute bacon, onion and celery until tender. Drain clams, set aside juice. Add next 8 ingredients to dutch oven. Bring to boil, then cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Whisk together flour and second amount of water until smooth. Add to simmering chowder in dutch oven, stirring until thickened. Add clams, and heat through. Makes about 8 cups. Now, here is what I do with the above recipe. 1 package of bacon, cut into large pieces. 1 medium onion, diced 2 10 oz cans baby clams with juice 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes 3 large potatoes, diced 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp thyme Saute the bacon and onion in a large skillet. While that's sauteing, I dice the potatoes and add them to my crockpot. When the onion is tender, I add the bacon and onion to the crockpot. I pour 2 cups of water into the skillet and heat to boiling to loosen any bits stuck to the bottom, then I pour it into the crockpot and add another 1 1/2 cups water and the clams and their juice. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Set the crockpot to low and leave it for the day. I don't thicken it because my family prefers it that way. Serve with dinner buns. |
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