Vegetarian New England Clam Chowder Recipes

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.

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.

VEGETARIAN "NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER"

Steps:

• Put the oil in a soup pot and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, chipotle pepper, thyme, sage and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes to the soup pot with the vegetable broth or water. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the milk and the mushrooms. Stir in the tofutti sour cream or flour/water mixture. Heat thoroughly for another 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh dill over soup and cover pot with a fitted lid. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve with oyster crackers.

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

Steps:

• Heat 1 litre of water in a large pan over a high heat. Once boiling, tip in the clams. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 mins until the majority of the clam shells have opened. Pour into a sieve over a large jug, reserving the cooking water. Tip the reserved liquid through a muslin-lined sieve into a large non stick saucepan and set aside - this is your stock for the soup.
• Discard any clams which haven't opened, then remove three-quarters of the clams from their shells and roughly chop.
• Put the bay leaf in the pan with the clam stock and tip in the potato and parsnip cubes. Cook for 5-7 mins until tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove half of the potato and parsnip and set aside. Fish out the bay leaf, spoon off any scum from the surface of the soup, then blitz the remaining stock and vegetables in a food processor until smooth, or using a stick blender.
• Using the same saucepan over a medium heat, pour in the oil, add the bacon lardons, fry until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion to the pan, cook for 5 mins until soft, then pour in the blitzed chowder, potato and parsnip. Heat until simmering, then tip in the chopped clams, take off the heat and stir through the crème fraîche, adding lemon juice to taste. Serve, topped with the crispy bacon, reserved clams in their shells and a scattering of chives and black pepper.