New England Clam Chowder Kissed By Manhattan 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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CHEF JOHN'S MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain baby and chopped clams. Reserve liquid in the refrigerator until needed and set clams aside.
• Place bacon in a soup pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir until well-browned and almost crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir until onions start to soften and turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Don't worry if some of the tomato paste sticks to the bottom of the pot; we want that to happen. Sprinkle in flour; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Dump in reserved clam juice plus bottled clam juice and chicken broth. Stir with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze any caramelization.
• Add carrots, celery, clams, diced tomatoes, pepper, and cayenne; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming off some bacon fat if desired.
• Add diced potatoes and cook until tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt, if needed. Stir in fresh tarragon and parsley just before serving.

TRADITIONAL MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER (A.K.A. CONEY ISLAND OR FULTO

Steps:

• Start the Cauldron over medium high heat and add oil and butter. As soon as the butter stops foaming add the red pepper flake, onions, celery and carrots.
• Cook until onion is translucent being careful not to burn. Add the garlic and chopped bacon or ham.
• Cook until the meat gets a light brown on it, then add potatoes, clam juice and clams with the liquor from the cans. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Add the bay leaves and Thyme.
• Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until just crushed, leaving some larger bits if desired. Add tomatoes to the Cauldron and bring to a light boil for about 10 minutes.
• Add a few twists of pepper. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste, then add some of the parsley during the simmer. Save some parsley for garnish.
• Serve hot with buttered toast points or saltine crackers.

BAKED NEW ENGLAND STYLE CLAM CHOWDER!

Steps:

• The above listed clams are 3-6 5 oz cans! (would not let me list it that way!).
• Saute, onions, celery and garlic in the oil and butter until soft. Add dry seasonings and flour. Stir well.
• Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the milk and Vermouth. Return to heat and cook whisking until thickened.
• Add 3/4 cup of the cheese as well as the parmesan. Stir until melted. Turn off heat and add the potatoes. (I like to use the Cubed Southern Style Hash Browns). The mixture will be very thick at this point.
• Place cottage cheese and clam liquid in food processor or blender and buzz until no curds remain. Add this and the clams to the potato mixture and stir well.
• Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top. Bake at 350°F 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
• Garnish with chopped parsley.