Clam Chowder Base Food

MY BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• First, shuck the clams and remove the bellies. Clean the clams and then chop them into small pieces. Put to the side until ready to add to the pot.
• Heat the butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and sweet onion and cook, mixing often, until they begin to soften. Next, sprinkle in the salt, black pepper and seafood boil seasoning. Add the self-rising flour to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the clams and clam juice.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon and finely chop. Add to the pot. Add the potatoes along with the scallions. Stir to combine. Lastly, add the milk and half-and-half. Stir to warm. Serve in a bowl with parsley as a garnish.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly. Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender. Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.;
• Melt the butter in a large skillet and toss the bread cubes in the butter until browned and toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper.;

THE CHOWDER SOUP BASE

Steps:

• Sauté the pork or bacon bits slowly with the butter in a large saucepan for 5 minutes, or until pieces begin to brown. Stir in the onions and bay leaf; cover, and cook slowly 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are tender. Drain off fat and blend crackers or bread crumbs into onions. Pour in the liquid; add the potatoes and simmer, loosely covered, for 20 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, and the soup base is ready.
• Chowder suggestions: New England clam chowder
• For about 2 1/2 quarts, serving 6 to 8. Scrub and soak 24 medium-size hard-shell clams. Steam them for 3 to 4 minutes in a large tightly covered saucepan with 1 cup water, until most have opened. Remove the opened clams; cover, and steam the rest another minute or so. Discard any unopened clams. Pluck meat from the shells, then decant steaming-liquid very carefully, so all sand remains in the saucepan; include the clam-steaming liquid as part of the chowder base. Meanwhile, mince the clam meats in a food processor or chop by hand. Fold them into the finished chowder base. Just before serving, heat to below the simmer-so the clams won't overcook and toughen. Fold in a little heavy cream or sour cream if you wish; thin with milk if necessary, correct seasoning, and serve.
• Fish chowder
• Prepare the chowder base using fish stock (page 5), and/or light chicken stock (page 4), and milk. Cut into 2-inch chunks 2 to 2 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless lean fish, such as cod, haddock, halibut, monkfish, or sea bass, all one kind or a mixture. Add to the finished chowder base and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just until fish is opaque and springy. Correct seasoning, and top each serving, if you wish, with a spoonful of sour cream.
• Chicken chowder
• Substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts for fish, and make the chowder base with chicken stock and milk.
• Corn chowder
• Prepare the chowder base using 6 cups of light chicken stock and milk. Stir 3 cups or so of grated fresh corn into the finished base, adding, if you wish, 2 green and/or red peppers chopped fine and sautéed briefly in butter. Bring to the simmer for 2 to 3 minutes; correct seasoning, and top each serving, if you wish, with a spoonful of sour cream.
• To Prepare Clams
• Scrub one at a time under running water, discarding any that are cracked, damaged, or not tightly closed. Soak 30 minutes in a basin of salted water (1/3 cup salt per 4 quarts water). Lift out, and if more than a few grains of sand remain in the basin, repeat. Refrigerate, covered by a damp towel. Use them within a day or two.
• Note
• You may leave out the pork and substitute another tablespoon of butter for sautéing the onions.

MO'S CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot, sauté the bacon slices until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan.
• In the bacon grease, sauté the onions with a pinch of salt and cook them for about 5 minutes.
• Add the potatoes to the onions as well as the flour and stir the flour well. Cook the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes and the potatoes start to soften. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and parsley. You may crumble the cooked bacon and return them back to the pan if desired, but Mo's doesn't keep them in their soup, just as a flavoring. I personally add them as not to waste them!
• Pour in the milk and the water and clams with juice, and cook to a boil. Turn the stove down to med heat and cover with a lid. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes and the potatoes are tender.
• Pour the soup into individual bowls and serve with a dollop of butter and a sprinkle of paprika.

SEAFOOD CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Saute veggies in butter til soft.
• Turn heat to low and add flour, stir until absorbed.
• Add seafood with juices, and half and half, and bring up to serving temperature or until it thickens.
• Do not let it boil.
• Just below boiling point,it should be thickened, add lemon pepper just before service with a stir.
• Garnish each bowl with fresh chopped parsley, and serve with plenty of garlic toast or oyster crackers.

CREAMY CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the onion, carrots and celery in butter until tender. Stir in potato soup and two cans of undrained clams. Drain and discard juice from remaining can of clams; add clams to soup. , Combine cornstarch and a 1 cup of cream until smooth; stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Gradually stir in the remaining cream; heat through.