Classic Clam Chowder 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.

CLASSIC CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large soup kettle, fry bacon over medium heat until bacon crisps, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon; set aside.
• Keep 2 tablespoons bacon fat in pan. (If necessary, add oil to yield 2 tablespoons.) Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and bay leaves; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds or so.
• Whisk in mashed potatoes, clam juice (bottled and what you've drained from the clams) and 1 cup of water. Add new potatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat; continue to simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in clams, cream and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
• Heat through and serve, garnishing each bowl with reserved bacon.

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.

CLASSIC CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Start by making the clam broth: Put a large pot over medium heat, add the bacon and saute until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon pieces from the pot and reserve them for something else. Add a 1-count of olive oil, the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the clams, lemon juice, white wine, and water and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes to steam open the clams. Remove the clams from the pot, discarding any that don't open. Strain the broth into a bowl. Pull the clams out of their shells, chop them, and set them aside separately; discard the shells. Set the broth aside.
• Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon, onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the bacon renders its fat and the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the clam broth and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture). Add the chopped clams and season with salt and pepper.
• Now add the 16 clams in their shells. Cover and simmer to open the clams, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve hot, with the common crackers.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the crushed crackers in a bowl, add the oil and melted butter, and toss to coat the crackers with the fat. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: none
• Ease of preparation: easy

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Wash the clams well, scrubbing if necessary to remove external grit. (You can wash the clams hours or even a day in advance; keep them in a large bowl or colander set over a bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator.) Put them in a pot with 1/2 cup of water and turn the heat to high. Steam, shaking the pot occasionally, until most of the clams are open, 7 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a broad bowl; reserve the cooking liquid.
• When the clams are cool enough to handle, shuck them over the bowl, catching every drop of their liquid; discard the shells. If any clams remain closed, use a thin-bladed knife to pry them open (it will be easy).
• Chop the clams. Strain all the liquid through a sieve lined with a paper towel or a couple of layers of cheesecloth. Measure the liquid and add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups. (You may prepare the dish in advance up to this point; refrigerate, covered, for up to a day before reheating.)
• Combine the liquid with the onion and potatoes in a saucepan; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, still covered, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the clams, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

CLASSIC MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• 1. Wash the clams well under cold running water in colander. Place clams in a large pot, and add enough water to cover clams by 2 inches. Cover the pan and place over high heat.
• 2. When the water comes to a boil, give the pan a good shake. Turn the heat to low, and cook clams another 30 seconds or so. Remove from the heat, and take out all the clams that have opened, using a slotted spoon. If any clams remain closed, put back on the heat, with the lid on the pan, and cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove remaining clams, reserve, discard any clams that have not opened.
• 3. Pour the clam juice through a fine strainer and set aside. You will need 6 cups of broth. If you have more than enough clam broth, reduce it to 6 cups. If you have too little clam brother, add some bottled clam juice or water to make 6 cups total.
• 4. Put the bacon into a large, heavy saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the bacon begins to brown. Pour off excess fat, leaving behind the bacon and about 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan.
• 5. Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pan and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook mixture for 10 minutes more. Add tomatoes and reserved clam juice to the pan. Bring chowder to a boil over high heat.
• 6. While chowder is coming to a boil, remove clams from their shells and chop coarsely. Add to chowder and reduce heat to low. Add thyme leaves. Cook over low heat for another 5 minutes; check to make sure potatoes are soft and chowder is well seasoned. Remove and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Serve in warm bowls.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water and drain well. Tip the clams into a large pan with 500ml of water. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins until the clams have just opened. Tip the contents of the pan into a colander over a bowl to catch the clam stock. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from their shells - reserving a handful of empty shells for presentation if you want. Strain the clam stock into a jug, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. You should have around 800ml stock.
• Heat the butter in the same pan and sizzle the bacon for 3-4 mins until it starts to brown. Stir in the onion, thyme and bay and cook everything gently for 10 mins until the onion is soft and golden. Scatter over the flour and stir in to make a sandy paste, cook for 2 mins more, then gradually stir in the clam stock then the milk and the cream.
• Throw in the potatoes, bring everything to a simmer and leave to bubble away gently for 10 mins or until the potatoes are cooked. Use a fork to crush a few of the potato chunks against the side of the pan to help thicken - you still want lots of defined chunks though. Stir through the clam meat and the few clam shells, if you've gone down that route, and simmer for a minute to reheat. Season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt, if needed, then stir through the parsley just before ladling into bowls or hollowed-out crusty rolls.

THE BEST DAMN CLAM CHOWDER EVER

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, brown prosciutto, or bacon over medium-low heat until crisp.
• Add the onion and cook until softened.
• Add the flour and stir until lightly colored, about a minute.
• Slowly whisk in the clam broth, reserved clam liquid, potatoes, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the clams, cream, fresh parsley, salt and white pepper.
• Bring to a simmer and serve immediately.
• (You may substitute any type of shellfish, or even fish for the clams in this recipe.).

OLD-FASHIONED CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Pick over clams, discarding any with cracked shells or that feel heavy, an indication they are full of mud. Rinse them under cold running water to get rid of surface grit. If clams are very gritty, set them in a bowl with brine solution and keep cool, or refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Drain clams, and place in a large, heavy soup kettle; add about 1/2 inch water to kettle, and set over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until all clams have opened. As they open, remove them from kettle and set aside. (Any clams that fail to open after 10 to 15 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam liquor through several layers of cheesecloth into a 2-cup measuring cup, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside.
• Rinse out soup kettle and return to stove top. Add salt pork, pancetta or bacon dice and 1 tablespoon butter, and cook slowly over medium-low heat until dice brown a little on edges. Use a slotted spoon to remove dice from fat. Set aside.
• Add onions to fat and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not brown. Stir in potatoes, and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften. Add enough water to clam liquor in measuring cup to make 2 cups; pour this over potatoes. Add black pepper and bay leaves.
• Simmer gently, partially covered, until potatoes are tender. Add whole milk and simmer again. Stir in clams and evaporated milk or cream, stirring gently so as not to break open clam bellies. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Let come just to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.)
• Chowder can be set in a cool place for several hours to develop flavors. Reheat to a simmer (do not let boil), then stir in chives or parsley and remaining butter just before serving. Pass common crackers at the table if you wish.

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.

TRADITIONAL NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Tap clams; discard any that do not close. Place clams and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until clams open. , Remove meat from clams; chop meat and set aside. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth-lined colander; set aside., In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. Saute onion in drippings until tender., Return bacon to the pan; add clam meat and reserved liquid. Stir in the potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender., Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Gradually stir in cream; heat through (do not boil).

THE CHART HOUSE CLAM CHOWDER (COPYCAT) INCLUDING SPICE BLEND

Steps:

• Directions for The Chart House Spice Blend:.
• Blend ingredients, crushing in a mortar if possible. Store in a resealable plastic bag to refrigerate.
• For the Clam Chowder:.
• In a heavy-bottomed, 4-pint soup kettle, saute bacon, butter, onion, garlic and The Cliff House Spice Blend over low heat. Do not allow to brown.
• Drain clams and set aside, reserving the juice. Slowly stir the flour and clam juices in the saute mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add half and half and simmer 20 minutes.
• Add white pepper, potatoes and clams. Heat to serving temperature. Do not allow to boil, as this toughens the clams. Serve at once with crackers and warm cornbread.