Corn And Clam Chowder With Zucchini And Herbs Recipes

CORN AND CLAM CHOWDER WITH ZUCCHINI AND HERBS

Steps:

• Set up a clam steamer, or put about 2 inches of water in a large pot with a lid, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Steam open clams over high heat, covered. Large clams will take about 12 minutes. When cool, shuck the clams. Strain and reserve all clam broth, leaving any sand or grit in the bottom of the pot. Chop meat roughly and set aside. To save time, do this step in advance. (If using chopped clams, skip Step 1 and 2.)
• Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, season generously with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add garlic, red pepper and thyme. Stir and let sizzle briefly, then add polenta and stir to coat. Gradually add the water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk as mixture begins to thicken, then add clam broth and bring to a boil. It should now look brothy and just barely thickened.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until polenta grains have softened.
• Add potatoes to pot and simmer until just done, 12 to 15 minutes. Taste soup and adjust seasoning. Add more clam broth, if necessary.
• Add corn and zucchini and simmer 5 minutes until zucchini is tender. Add chopped clams and cook 2 minutes more.
• To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Squeeze some lime juice into each portion and top with a dollop of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with parsley and oregano.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM AND CORN CHOWDER WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour out all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add next 4 ingredients to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add milk to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and cook until slightly thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, clams with juice, and drained corn. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with bacon and parsley, and serve.

CLAM AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large stockpot over moderate heat. Saute the onions for 10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, corn and potatoes and saute 2 minutes longer. Pour in the clam juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the white wine to a boil in a large saucepan and reduce by one-third. Add the clams, cover and steam, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open up, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard any that do not open. Remove the cover and let the clams cool in the pot. When cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the shells, reserving the juice, and chop the clams. Set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid.
• Add the tomato, red pepper and jalapeno to the soup pot and cook over low heat an additional 10 minutes. Strain the reserved cooking juices and clam juice through a fine kitchen towel or coffee filter into the soup. Add the chopped clams and cook 10 more minutes. Stir in the cilantro, lime juice and pepper. Taste for salt, since the clams may be salty, and serve steaming hot.