Chunky Manhattan Clam Chowder Food

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Tie the parsley sprigs, fresh thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot with the potatoes. Pour in the clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and clams. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.
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MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large stockpot bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add clams, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, quickly stir clams well with a wooden spoon, and recover. Allow clams to cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (this will depend on the type and size of clams you are using), or until most of the clams are opened. Transfer clams to a large bowl or baking dish and strain broth through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. (You should have about 6 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 6 cups.) When clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set clams and broth aside.
• In a large heavy pot add bacon and render until golden and crispy. Pour off all fat except 4 tablespoons. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Do not allow to color. Add garlic, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and add potatoes, reserved clam broth, and chicken stock and bring to a boil, covered. Cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened somewhat. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add reserved clams and parsley and season with pepper and salt, if necessary. Allow chowder to sit for up to 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, then reheat slowly over low fire if necessary. Do not allow to boil.

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot over low heat, and add the bacon.
• Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
• Add the olive oil and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots, bay leaves, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
• Sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are softened but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and clam broth.
• The broth should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn't, add enough water to cover.
• Increase the heat, bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center, about 10 minutes.
• If the broth hasn't thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more to release the starch.
• Add the tomatoes, and simmer 5 minutes more.
• Remove pot from the heat, stir in the diced clams and parsley, and season with black pepper.
• If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely.
• Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour, allowing the flavor to meld.
• When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don't let it boil.
• Ladle into cups or bowls, making sure the clams, vegetables, and bacon are evenly divided.

THE ULTIMATE MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Steam clams in a large pot and reserve the liquid that is left- it should measure about 3+ cups.
• Chop the clams.
• In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium/high heat until slightly crisp.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring until transparent.
• Add the pepper, carrot and celery and cook for about a minute.
• Add the clams, tomatoes, clam liquid, water, bay leaf, thyme ground pepper.
• Bring to a boil and add potatoes.
• Simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Remove the bay leaf. Add chopped parsley.
• Add the cooked shrimp now if you plan to use them, but do not continue to cook or the shrimp will get tough.
• You should only warm the shrimp over for best results.
• Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

CHUNKY VEGETABLE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot add bacon (I cut into bite size pieces) saute lightly.
• Add in onions (and the celery which is optional) and saute briefly.
• Add Chicken broth (I often use two cans of both the broth and the clams) potatoes, carrots, reserved clam juice, salt, pepper and simmer until vegetables are done.
• Add in the milk, clams and chopped parsley stirring frequently until heated through.
• You may wish to serve at this point but we make a roux melting shortening in a heavy pan, adding the flour browning to golden brown and whisking into chowder.
• This can be prepared a day ahead, cool, cover and refrigerate bringing to a simmer (carefully stirring to prevent burning) before serving.