New England Clam Chowder

Manhattan style clam chowder? Well, vegetable soup works well with clams. Just don’t call it a chowder! Call it, maybe, Tomato Vegetable Soup with Baby Clams (recipe under development ;-)

With roots in New England, it is no surprise that John has inherited the Yankee preference for a the purist's Clam Chowder. Here's the recipe honed over generations in family kitchens at Rocky Beach, Connecticut; Hyannisport on Cape Cod and East Waterford, Maine.

Ingredients:
4 celery sticks
1 onion
2 medium potatoes, diced
small piece of salt pork (or one piece of bacon, chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil (or butter)
¼ cup flour
clams and juice from two cans of baby clams
1 ¼ cup water or skimmed milk
1 cup or more heavy cream
pinch dried parsley (or a sprig of fresh, Italian (not curly) parsley
Grate nutmeg to a count of four
3-4 turns of a black pepper mill
Garnish: Oyster crackers or a hearty bread

Method:
Chop the celery in 1 centimeter pieces.
Coarse-mince the onion.
Heat a heavy pan and flavour it with the salt pork or chopped bacon slice. Do not let the bacon become crispy.
Add olive oil to the fat renderings and sauté the celery and onions until the onions become translucent.
Sprinkle flour over the sauté, stirring to coat the vegetables and prevent burning.
Stir in the juice from the baby clams, reserving the clams for later.
Grate nutmeg to a count of four.
Add parsley.
Add half of the water or skimmed milk.
Let the soup come to a low boil.
Lower the heat to simmer.
Add the clams and add the remaining water or skim milk to taste. The chowder should not be watered down so test to retain the taste of the clams.
Add the heavy cream and stir.
Let simmer for at least ten minutes. The flavours will improve with simmering, but do not let the soup boil.

Garnish: Oyster crackers are traditional, but Stone Wheat crackers or a hearty nuts and seeds bread make a delicious alternative.