Rhode Island Seafood Chowder

RHODE ISLAND 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 those aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add the 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 onions and celery 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 the wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add 4 cups of clam broth, 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 that are about the size of the bacon dice.
• When the potatoes are tender, stir in the chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let the chowder come just to a simmer, and remove from heat. Fish out the thyme and bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.

RHODE ISLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• 1. Put all the ingredients except the potatoes in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
• 2. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

RHODE ISLAND CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the water, butter, clams, clam base, onions, salt, pepper and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. If desired, when serving, add a dollop of sour cream to each serving.

RHODE ISLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Bring the shucked clams, clam juice, and chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender. Stir the onion mixture and potatoes into the clams. Season with dill, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Simmer 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

RHODE ISLAND RED CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Pour clam juice, and the juice from the canned clams into a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add onion, carrots, and potatoes; and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the tomato soup and tomato sauce, and season with parsley and black pepper. Add clams last, and cook just until heated through.

RHODE ISLAND RED CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large kettle or soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels and reserve, leaving drippings in pot. Add onions to drippings and cook until softened but not brown, about 6 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over onions and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in clam broth. Add potatoes, oregano and bay leaf and simmer uncovered until potatoes are almost tender, 10 minutes.
• Add milk, tomatoes and clams and simmer uncovered over medium heat until potatoes are very tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a small dish, combine ketchup and baking soda and whisk mixture into chowder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for an hour or so or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• When ready to serve, reheat chowder gently over medium-low heat. Remove bay leaf, add butter and swirl until melted. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Place crumbled crackers in bottoms of soup bowls and ladle chowder over them. Pass bacon or salt pork bits for sprinkling over top if desired.