National Clam Chowder Day
Source: http://www.dishmaps.com/clam-chowder/9322
Little known fact about
February 25th – it’s National
Clam Chowder Day! In my mind, there’s
nothing better than sitting on the porch of BPI, enjoying a bowl of our Signature
Clam Chowder with Westminster Crackers… Unfortunately, the porch right now is
covered with heaping piles of snow and the 11°F
weather here on Prouts Neck does not make me want to leave the comfort of my
heated office. However, I also can’t
think of a better way to warm up during these cold winter days than in front of
a roaring fire with a bowl of clam chowder, to remind us that summer days just
around the corner. If you’re looking to
celebrate National Clam Chowder Day, than look no further! Here’s a clam chowder recipe that’ll be sure
to keep you warm during this blistery, Maine winter.
Ingredients:
·
4 Dozen Littleneck Clams
·
5 Slices of Thick-Cut Bacon – Diced
·
1 Large Yellow Onion – Diced
·
1 ½ lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes – Diced
· 3 Stalks of Celery - Chopped
·
3 Tbsp Flour
·
1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
·
1 ½ Cups Whole Milk
·
2 Bay Leaves
·
1 Bunch of Thyme (Fresh)
·
1 tsp Olive Oil
·
Salt and Pepper – To Taste
· 1 Tbsp Parsley – Chopped
· Westminster Crackers – Optional
· Sourdough Bead Bowls – Optional
o Yield:
4 Servings
Hint: For this recipe, you will be keeping the
liquid from your boiled clams to add to your clam chowder so it is important to
clean your clams as well as you can before cooking them. If you need extra advice on how to clean
clams, please visit wikiHow’s page: How
to Clean Clams
Take your clean and scrubbed
clams and place them into a large pot with one cup of water. Cover the pot and cook the clams over high
heat for about 7-8 minutes or until the clams open. You can continue to cook for a few minutes
longer if you have clams that are still closed but if they do not open after
additional few minutes of cooking, you will need to discard them. Once the clams have cooked and are open, turn
off the stove heat and strain the liquid from the large pot into a separate
mixing bowl. Remove each clam from its
shell and chop up the clams and place them aside.
Source: http://howtofeedaloon.com/classic-new-england-chowder/
Next, in your large pot, add
in 1 tsp of olive oil and begin to sauté the diced bacon over medium heat. Once the bacon has begun to brown, add in your
diced onion and sauté the onion and the bacon until the diced onions are
clear. Then, add in the potatoes and celery and
cook for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle
your flour over the mixture and continue to stir to combine. Once the flour, potatoes, celery, bacon and onions
are all combined, slowly whisk in the clam juice you put aside. Continue to whisk as you add in the milk,
heavy cream, bay leaves and thyme until the mixture is smooth and without
lumps.
Source: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Sweet-Corn-Chowder
Bring the entire mixture to a
quick boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for an additional 15
minutes. Add the chopped clams to the
soup and add in a dash of salt and pepper (to taste). As always, I recommend eating clam chowder
with some good old-fashioned Westminster Crackers, freshly cracked pepper and in a sourdough bread bowl. Don't forget to garnish every bowl with a sprinkle of chopped parsley! If you are enjoying your clam chowder in a bread bowl, all you need to do it cut off the top of the bowl and scoop out the bread in the middle to make room for the chowder. If you'd like, you can toast your bread bowl lightly in the oven (which will help it stay together) and use the extra bread to dip into your chowder. Enjoy!
Source: http://www.thewickednoodle.com/15-minute-england-clam-chowder/
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