new england clam chowder....

[mike_c]

I have a taste for new england clam chowder, and I think I have all the ingredients in the pantry. Canned clams, but hey, to paraphrase da Rummy, "you make chowder with the clams you've got, not the clams you'd like to have." I have a couple of bottles of clam juice, too, and lots of chicken stock if I need to stretch it a little bit. Sounds like a plan.

Let me state for the record that "manhattan style clam chowder" is an abomination, and should not be suffered while sweet cream and clam juice exist.

I'm gonna go peel some potatoes now and make chowder.

Mike's clam chowder (quantities are approximate):

1/8 cup or so salt pork, chopped (or just use bacon, but I have a chunk of salt pork belly)
2 or 3 cups potatoes, coarsely chopped
a few cans of chopped clams, with juice (I have four 6.5 oz cans)
2 bottles clam juice + some chicken stock if needed (I'll probably use a couple of cups of stock-- I like to add a tbsp or so of instant dashi powder along with the chicken stock to give it a "fishy" taste)
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2.5 cups half and half
sea salt as needed
lots of ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme

Fry the salt pork in the butter until all the fat is rendered. Add the onions and saute until soft, then add the garlic and saute a little longer, Add the flour and make a light roux, Stir in the potatoes, clams, clam juice, thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper, adding chicken stock (and instant dashi powder) if necessary to cover the potatoes. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes or so).

Add the half and half, more black pepper, and return to a BARE simmer. Season with sea salt if necessary.

I don't know if it will freeze, but I'm gonna have lots more than I can eat tonight, so we'll see. I don't have any oyster crackers, so I'll probably make some bruschetta to cube and float on top.

[mike_c]

1. too late to edit, but I realized that I said to fry the salt pork...

...in the butter, and that doesn't work well. Even small salt pork dice takes a long time to render and brown-- I put it in a dry soup pot and fry over fairly low heat, with the lid on, for 15-20 minutes or so, THEN add the butter and melt it before adding the onions, etc.

It's almost time to add the half and half, and it smells GOOD.

[wryter2000]

3. I cheat with bacon

It makes a very nice, authentic flavor, and it cooks up so that there's no huge hunk of fat in there.

Go easy on the chicken broth if you can. I really prefer the juice the clams come in and fish or shellfish broth.

You're right about Manhattan chowder. It may be very nice soup. (None has never passed my lips.) But it's not chowdah!

On edit: I was raised by my Gloucester granny. She never thickened chowdah. It was a thin soup but filled with hunks of potato and clams. For my money, I'd rather have it thin and not tasting of flour. Too many people let the taste suffer in the service of thickness. There's nothing wrong with thin soup.

[mike_c]

4. me too-- I just happened to have some salt pork...

...and I agree about the chicken stock. This was kind of a spur of the moment choice-- oh, I've been thinking about making some for a while, hence the clams and juice in the pantry-- but the jones was on me last night and I couldn't wait for perfection. It turned out quite good-- and silky smooth, not goopy thick. I made some sourdough skillet croutons with olive oil, a touch of garlic, sea salt, and black pepper to float on top in place of the missing crackers.

[wryter2000]

5. Your croutons sound great

I'm not a big fan of oyster crackers.

I should clarify about the thickening. The way my grandmother made chowdah, there was only enough liquid to cover the clams and veggies plus a little. I think that's why it didn't need thickening (also why it didn't need much liquid besides the reserved clam juice). Restaurant versions are often a lot of liquid with some potatoes and clams in it. I can see why you'd want to thicken that.

Your chowdah sounds great. I haven't made any in quite a while. I did just discover a great recipe for Boston baked beans. Yum!

[Lugnut]

2. I'm drooling

That sounds wonderful. I've never tried freezing cream soup but I don't usually need to. There's never enough left over to bother.

As far as I'm concerned there's no such thing as Manhattan Style Clam Chowder. I won't eat the stuff.

[calico1]

6. Your recipe sounds pretty good, except that

I have to disagree with you on the "abomination" of Manhattan style clam chowder. LOL. Nothing better than a well made Manhattan style clam chowder to me. After that my preference would be Rhode Island style, and lastly New England style. I like my chowder to taste more like clams, not heavy cream.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. I'm pretty much with you on this one .......

I've been following this thread and was hesitent to comment. I mean .... I absolutely love NE Clam Chowdah. But to say it is the only chowdah ..... nope. In fact, just this week I made a pot of Manhatten and we love it. We also love Rhode Island Chowdah and Chesapeake Chowder.

I also love vanilla ice cream. And chocolate. And butter brickle and peach and mint chocolate chip. :)

By the way, mike_c, that's a great soundin' recipe.

[babylonsister]

8. Mom used to make a hearty, great Manhattan chowder, but

I never heard of Chesapeake or Rhode Island chowder before. Are they also made w/clams?

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Oh yeah .... clammy to the max!

Chesapeake Chowder's sort of a cross between Manhatten Clam Chowder and Crab Soup with a hint of crab cake thrown in. Rhode Island Chowdah's clear. Essentially the broth is clam juice. It may well be the clammiest of them all.

[mike_c]

10. I almost stopped at the equivalent of Rhode Island chowder...

...when I tasted the simmering soup before adding the cream. It was really good at that point. Interestingly, the former governor of Rhode Island has posted a recipe on the web that is NOT clear-- maybe:

http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/ri/gov/rigov90.htm

The Honorable Lincoln Almond, Governor of Rhode Island
Rhode Island Clam Chowder

Ingredients
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 Tablespoons melted butter
8 ounces RI Quahogs, chopped (liquid reserved)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup clam juice
1 cup peeled and coarsely chopped potatoes
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup Half & Half or heavy cream
Dash thyme
Dash salt
Dash white pepper

In a 3-quart saucepan, saute onion and celery in 2 Tablespoons butter until transparent. Add liquid from clams, clam juice, chicken broth and potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

Oddly, that is the ENTIRE recipe, as posted. The actual recipe never mentions the last seven ingredients. :shrug:

[calico1]

11. I had not heard of Chesapeake either.

Rhode Island is the simplest type of chowder. Clear, no tomatoes and with just the broth from the clams. I like it. I do like New England too but it depends on the mood I am in. Most often I go for Manhattan style of the 3.