It's Still "Chowda" Weather!

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Make It's Still "Chowda" Weather!

There is nothing better than sitting down with family to a bowl of home made Clam Chowder when the temperature dips outside. No time? Well one of the best parts of this chowder recipe, as with many, is that it tastes better the next day or the next. When you find a little extra time and feel like being creative, make this chowder ahead of time and serve it to your family when you call can sit down and enjoy it.  I have two suggestions.  Don't skip on the clams, more is almost always better in this case, and don't substitute the heavy cream with milk or half and half.....

New England Clam Chowder

Serves 8

Ingredients

3 dozen/7-8 lbs cherry stone clams in their shells, scrubbed

(Cherry Stones 3-4 per pound - 2 inch)

3 onions chopped into 1/2 inch pieces divided

2 ribs celery chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 carrots chopped into 1/2 inch pieces(either medallion or batonnet)

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cups clam juice

2 cups water

6 slices bacon chopped into ½ inch pieces

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 pound red potatoes cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 cups heavy cream

fresh parsley chopped

Oyster crackers (optional)

Directions

One of the secrets of clam chowder is to cook it mostly low and slow, gently coaxing all the flavors out.

Combine the clams, 1 cup of the onion, celery, carrots, thyme, bay leaves, clam juice and water in a large pot. Cover pot; bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the clams open, about 10-12 minutes. Remove clams from their shells and transfer to a bowl; cover and cool. Meanwhile, use a wire mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or paper towel to strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and reserve. Chop cooled clams (depending on your likes, but not too small) and reserve.

Wipe out the pot and return to the stove over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to crisp, about 10 minutes rendering out the fat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the remaining 2 cups of onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent(do not color), about 10 minutes. Stirring gently, add the flour and cook 2 minutes creating a roux of sorts. Stir in the reserved broth and the potatoes, increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until potatoes are cooked through, 8-9 minutes. Stir in the reserved clams and cream, return to a simmer and cook uncovered until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in parsley and remove the bay leaf. Serve with oyster crackers if desired.

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