Jims New England Clam Chowder Recipes

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.

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.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER I

Steps:

• Place diced bacon in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
• Pour in half-and-half, and add butter. Drain clams, reserving clam liquid; stir clams and 1/2 of the clam liquid into the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Do not allow to boil.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large steamer pot add your cleaned clams - with 1 cup of white wine and 2 tsps crushed garlic. Steam until clams are fully opened.
• Remove clams from the pot and set aside to cool.
• Reserve all liquids from the clam steam (this is the clam liquor - add bottled clam juice to equal 12 cups).
• In a 6 qt or larger pot add 1 tbsp olive oil, over medium high heat, add onions, celery, garlic and potatoes. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until onions are clear.
• Add clam liquor and cook till potatoes are tender.
• In a small pot melt butter add flour, salt and pepper cook for two minutes slowly add several ladles of the clam juice from the soup pot to the rue and cook till it begins to thicken, remember to stir constantly while thickening or you will burn your rue. Return the rue to the soup pot and allow the two to come together. Add cream and cook for 10 minutes.
• The last touch is to add your chopped clams - I add them last so they don't turn to rubber. Serve with a nice crusty bread.

JIM'S NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Dice the salt pork into small cubes.
• I usually slice it into a grid while it is still attached to the skin, then slice across the skin where it attaches to the fat and the cubes pop off easily.
• Sauté the salt pork in a large 5 quart non stick sauce pan.
• When the cubes are golden brown strain them from the rendered fat onto a paper bag to drain.
• Save 4 tablespoons of the liquid fat from the salt pork,then wipe out the sauce pan with a paper towel.
• Put the fat back in the sauce pan.
• Dice the large onion into small pieces.
• Slice the 3 ribs of celery lengthwise then dice it into small pieces.
• Place the diced onion and celery into the heated pork fat and sauté until the onions are opaque and the celery is a bit soft.
• Pour the entire can of clams (broth and all) into the onion/celery mixture and bring to a simmer.
• Place the rosemary into the clam broth mixture.
• Peel the Maine potatoes OR scrub the red bliss potatoes.
• Then cut them into 3/4-inch cubes--I like them a bit chunky--and soak them in cold water for about five minutes.
• Take the stick of butter and melt it in a small sauce pan.
• Add the 3 tablespoons of flour to the melted butter and stir until well blended.
• Drain the potatoes and place them into the clam mixture, simmer until al dente.
• Next, pour the 2 cups of milk into the simmering clam broth mixture and bring back to a simmer.
• Lastly, swirl the butter/flour roux into the chowder and simmer for about 10 more minutes until the chowder thickens.
• Remove the rosemary and serve this chowder in big bowls with oyster crackers and the pieces of golden brown pork fat, salt and pepper to taste.
• NOTE: I don't like my chowder too thick so you may have to adjust the butter/flour mixture.
• You may skip the butter and use a low-fat margarine.
• You may also substitute skim milk too (or skip the milk altogether, this is called Point Judith/Rhode Island style!).
• You may even skip the whole pork fat thing for a healthier recipe.
• This chowder is so hearty that it stands up well to "healthier alternative" substitutions.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large heavy pot cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, remove and set aside.
• Add the onions and celery season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly wilted, about 3 minutes, being careful not to brown.
• Add the flour and cook an additional 3 minutes.
• Add clams with all the juice, and the potatoes and bring to a boil, simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the broth thickens slightly and the potatoes are very tender.
• Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream add crush bacon and season with pepper and salt.
• Cover, and Stirring often.
• (If you like a thicker broth, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.) Remove from the heat. (Do not allow to boil after adding the cream as it could break).
• Set aside for 1 hour, covered, to allow the flavors to marry. Place the pot over low heat, and slowly reheat, being careful not to bring to the boil. Serve hot, garnished chives.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Add all ingredients except bacon, milk, heavy cream and cornstarch mix and cook over low heat for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
• When vegetables and other ingredients are cooked add bacon, milk and heavy cream and turn up heat bringing to boil,stirring constantly.
• Add cornstarch mix until thickened.
• Turn heat back to low, continue stirring to keep chowder from burning.
• Once chowder is back to serving temperature stir occasionally.
• Note- cooked vegetables and other ingredients including bacon can be frozen for future use. To prepare just reheat ingredients and follow same steps for adding milk, heavy cream and cornstarch mix.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Scrub the clams, and rinse clean.
• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in an 8-quart stockpot over high heat.
• Add the clams, and cover tightly.
• After 5 minutes, uncover, and stir the clams with a wooden spoon.
• Quickly cover the pot again, and let steam for 5 minutes more, or until most of the clams have opened.
• Don't wait for them all to open, or they will be overcooked.
• It should only take a little tug or prying to open the stragglers once they are all removed from the heat.
• The total cooking time for large cherrystones will be about 10 minutes; quahogs will need as much as 5 more minutes.
• While the clams are steaming, the broth should become foamy and light.
• It usually spills over a bit just as the clams are cooked and ready.
• As soon as you remove the clams from the stove, carefully pour as much of the broth as you can into a tall, narrow container.
• Let the broth sit for 10 minutes, then carefully pour through a fine-mesh strainer.
• After sitting, 99 percent of the grit will have collected at the bottom of the container.
• If you are not using the broth within the hour, chill it as quickly as possible, and cover it after it has completely cooled.
• Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
• Remove the clams from their shells, cover, and refrigerate.
• After they have cooled a bit, dice them into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Cover again, and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot over low heat and add the salt pork.
• Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the salt pork is a crisp golden brown.
• Remove from pot; set aside.
• Add the butter, onions, garlic, celery, thyme, and bay leaves.
• Sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions are softened but not browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and the strained clam broth.
• The broth should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn't, add enough water to cover them.
• Increase the heat, and bring to a boil.
• Cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center, about 10 minutes.
• If the broth hasn't thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more to release the starch.
• Remove pot from the heat, and stir in the diced clams and the cream.
• Season to taste.
• If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has completely chilled.
• Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
• When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don't let it boil.
• Ladle into cups or bowls, making sure that the clams, potatoes, and onions are evenly divided.
• Sprinkle with parsley, chives, and reserved salt-pork cracklings.

JASPER'S NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat 4 to 6 quartsized soup pot, over low heat.
• Add diced bacon, rendering fat, cook til crisp, with slotted spoon, remove bacon and set aside.
• Add butter to the bacon drippings in the soup pot, then add diced onions, garlic, celery, thyme and bay leaves. Saute, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon, until onions are softened, not brown, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the canned clams, saving the liquid into the soup pot. Set the clams aside with the crisp bacon.
• Add the diced potatoes and bottled clam juice to the soup pot. Total broth should just barely cover the potatoes, if it does not, add a little water. Cover and cook vigoriously about 10 minutes.
• Mash cooked potatoes with a spoon against side of pot to thicken chowder.
• Cook 1 to 2 minutes more,uncovered, to release the starch from the potatoes, which causes the chowder to thicken nicely.
• Remove from heat. Add clams, bacon, and cream.
• Season and add Parsley. Serve immediately.