Bonnies Clam Chowder New England Style 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-STYLE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Melt butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat; cook and stir salt pork, celery, onion, and garlic in melted butter until softened, about 7 minutes. Add potatoes, clam juice, tarragon, celery salt, and bay leaves to the stockpot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and place a cover on the pot. Cook at a simmer until potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes.
• Stir clams into the soup and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, dill, salt, and pepper; stir and cook another 7 minutes. Remove the pot from heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley to serve.

DONNA'S NEW ENGLAND STYLE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Rinse and scrub clams several times to remove as much sand as possible. Discard any clams with a broken shell. Place clams in dishpan or sink and just cover with cold water. Sprinkle corn meal over all and leave to soak for 3 to 4 hours. Rinse one final time to remove any cornmeal adhering to clams and place them in a large pot. Add 2 1/2 quarts of water and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil covered and steam for 12 to 15 minutes or until clams are open. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a 10 quart heavy Dutch oven and add salt pork. Cook, stirring frequently, until fat is rendered and pork pieces are brown and somewhat crisp. Remove pork with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and reserve. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring frequently until onions are soft and transparent (do not allow the onions to brown). While onions are cooking, remove clams from shells collecting liquid from clams in pot with cooking liquid. As clams are removed, rinse them in the cooking liquid to remove any additional sand and reserve. Pour cooking liquid through a strainer lined with 3 layers of cheesecloth and add to onions. Add potatoes, clam juice and if necessary, enough water to just cover potatoes. Cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add clams, half-and-half and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through and correct seasoning. Serve in mugs or bowls and sprinkle with reserved "cracklings." Pass oyster crackers separately.

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 stockpot bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the clams, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and quickly stir the clams with a wooden spoon. Cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (this will depend on the type and size of the clams), or until most of the clams are open.
• Transfer the clams to a large bowl or baking dish and strain the broth twice through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, being careful to strain out the sand. (You should have about 8 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 8 cups.) When the clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set the clams and broth aside.
• Cook the bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat until crisp and the fat is rendered. Pour off all the bacon fat except 2 tablespoons. Add the 4 tablespoons butter, leeks, onions, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly wilted, about 3 minutes, being careful not to brown. Add the potatoes and reserved clam broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the broth thickens slightly and the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. (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, Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves, stir in the clams and cream, and season with the pepper and the salt to taste.
• Set the chowder aside for 1 hour, covered, to allow the flavors to marry. Place the pot over low heat and slowly reheat, being careful not to let boil. Serve hot; garnish each bowl with a pat of butter and some parsley and chives.

BONNIE'S CLAM CHOWDER NEW ENGLAND STYLE

Steps:

• 1. Get your ingredients together and read through the recipe before you start.
• 2. Place the bacon pieces in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until crisp and brown. Remove and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.
• 3. Dice potatoes and carrots first and set aside. The recipe calls for unpeeled potatoes. You may peel half of the potatoes if you wish, or peel all of the potatoes, or leave them unpeeled. We prefer them peeled.
• 4. Stir the potatoes and carrots into the bacon grease, add salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until tender.
• 5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes and carrots to a large soup pot, shaking off as much grease as possible.
• 6. Now open the three cans of clams and pour just the juice (not the clams) over the potatoes and carrots, and add the 2 bottles of clam juice. (If there is not enough liquid, add water to just cover the potatoes and carrots.) Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until potatoes are just tender. (about 15 minutes)
• 7. Gently stir the 2 leek soup mix packages into the potatoes until no lumps of soup remain. (I made a "well" in the center of the soup so it is easier to mix)
• 8. Stir in the clams, bacon and half-and-half cream. Cook and stir until the chowder returns to a simmer and thickens, about 10 minutes more. Enjoy!
• 9. Cooks note: Sometimes I make my own clam juice: 2 cups of water to 1 can of minced clams with juice and blend in blender. Note: I tried fat free half and half, but it doesn't work for us. The half and half makes a much better chowder. My husband asked me what was missing in it!
• 10. Our kitchen helper, Phoebe says, " You used low fat half and half!? You should know better than to mess with a good recipe!!"