Rachaels Clam Chowder Food

SPICY CLAM AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the chowder: In a soup pot or a Dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook until the kernels are lightly browned at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the seafood seasoning, thyme, garlic, celery, bay leaves, chiles and onions, and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
• For the croutons: Arrange the English muffin cubes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden. Melt the butter with the hot sauce. Place the croutons in a bowl and toss with the parsley, seafood seasoning and the butter mixture. Return to the rack set over the baking sheet and bake until deeply golden. Let cool.
• To finish the chowder: Place the clams and beer in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, and season with sea salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then cook at a rapid simmer until the clams open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
• Divide the clams and the cooking liquid among 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the corn chowder over top and garnish with the croutons. Serve with hot sauce.
• Cook's Notes: You can make the chowder base up to 5 days ahead. Cool and store in the refrigerator, then reheat over a medium flame. Buy the clams within 48 hours of serving and cook them just before you're ready to serve.
• You can store the croutons in an airtight container or in a foil pouch until ready to use.

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.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place the clams in a pot large enough to hold them comfortably and cover with water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the clams and rinse with cold running water several times. (You can do this up to 7 million times and you will never remove all the sand. Let this be a lesson in life to you.)
• Place the cleaned clams in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot and add enough wine to go about halfway up the clams, about the whole bottle. Tie the thyme, oregano and bay leaves in a bundle and add to the pot. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam until the clams open completely, 15 to 20 minutes, or about 8 minutes after the liquid boils. Once the clams are all opened, remove them with a slotted spoon to a sheet pan to cool for a few minutes. Strain the clam broth through a fine strainer, reserving the liquid.
• Put a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once heated, add the guanciale and prosciutto and begin to render, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove some pieces of crispy prosciutto for garnish, if possible. If not, move on. Add the onion, garlic and celery to the pot and gently sweat over medium-low heat until they begin to soften up, about 3 minutes. Add the diced potatoes and cook to allow more fat to render from the prosciutto and guanciale and for the vegetables to fully soften, another 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the clams from the shells and chop roughly; don't turn them into dust-big pieces are good. Add the clams and the Calabrian chile paste to the potato pot and add about two-thirds of the reserved clam broth. Let the chowder begin to gently heat up and come to a simmer. Once at a simmer, add the heavy cream, more or less depending on your desired taste; for brothy, add a smaller amount of the cream. Always taste the batch; it may need a touch of sea salt, it may not-some clams are saltier than others.
• To serve, place a well-proportioned ladle of chowder in a bowl and garnish with some celery leaves, reserved crispy prosciutto (if any) and cracked black pepper.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place a large pot or rondeau on the stove and add 3 cups water. Bring the water to a boil and add the clams. Cook until the clams pop open. Though it is important to stir the clams as they cook, take care because the shells are fragile and break easily. Put the clams in a colander and reserve the cooking liquid. Shell the clams; discard the shells and reserve the clam meat and the liquid separately.
• Add the bacon to another large pot and cook over medium heat until crispy. Drain the bacon with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel, dust with Aleppo pepper and set aside. Add the butter to the bacon fat in the pot and quickly cook the celery, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Remove the celery with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the garlic, leeks and onions to the pot and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cook until the vegetables become tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vermouth. Continue to cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, combine the cream, thyme, potatoes and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Add a splash of hot sauce and Worcestershire. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning.
• There is a good chance there will be grit in the clam cooking liquid. Strain it and add it to the onion/leek mixture. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning. Combine with the potato mixture. Add the clam meat, reserved celery, tarragon and dill. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the marsala. Taste for seasoning. Add more cream and water if needed. Top with the bacon just before serving and serve with the Baked Bread.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat and add the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Heat gently for 1 minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the bread slices with the butter. Pour any remaining butter into the bottom of the baking sheet. Dust the bread with the paprika and dill seeds. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the slices are browned and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and cool for a minute before serving alongside the soup.

HOMEMADE CLAM CHOWDER - RACHAEL RAY

Steps:

• In a medium pot over medium high heat melt butter. Add bacon, onions, celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and cook a minute more.
• Add half-and-half and stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in potatoes and clams. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened to coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup. The thyme leaves will have fallen off into the soup. Stir and adjust seasonings in your soup. Pour soup into mugs. Top with shredded cheese or green onions if desired.

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 CHOWDA MUG O SOUP WITH DEVILED HAM AND CHEESE MELT MUG TOPPERS

Steps:

• In a medium pot over medium high heat melt butter. Add bacon and onions, celery and thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and cook a minute more.
• Add half-and-half and stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in potatoes and clams. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened to coat the back of a spoon.
• Heat toaster oven or broiler then toast split English muffins. While muffins toast, grind ham with paprika, hot sauce, mustard, and parsley in a food processor. Spread ham on toasted muffins. Top each muffin half with 2 slices Cheddar and melt cheese in toaster oven or under broiler.
• Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup. The thyme leaves will have fallen off into the soup. Stir and adjust seasonings in your soup. Pour soup into mugs. Serve with deviled ham and cheese mug toppers.

RACHAEL'S CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a medium pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Add bacon and onions, celery and thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper, Old Bay and hot sauce and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and cook a minute more.
• Add half-and-half and stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in potatoes and clams. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened to coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove thyme sprigs before serving. The leaves will have fallen off into the soup.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Rinse the clams several times under cold running water. Transfer to a large pot and add 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover and cook until the clams open, about 6 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; reserve the broth. Transfer the clams to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
• Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onion and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the reserved clam broth, 1 1/2 cups water and the potato. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potato is tender and the soup thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the clams from their shells and roughly chop.
• Reduce the heat under the soup to medium low. Whisk in the half-and-half and warm through (do not boil). Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped clams; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the reserved bacon and chives.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
• Add the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, approximately 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.
• When potatoes are tender, add cream and stir in chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme and the bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.