Living in So Cal I keep trying to remind myself that it is winter elsewhere. And I figure there is no better way to convince myself of that fact than by cooking winter food. I truly love soup and I do actually eat it year round and New England Clam Chowder is one of my favorites...it was one of the few foods that I remember my Grandparents cooking, that I actually liked...I actually think it was my Grandfather who would make it in their basement kitchen, if I remember correctly.



My Grandparents lived in New Jersey and I remember as a kid being so mesmerized by the East Coast oddities that we just didn't have on the West Coast. For example, basements, it is hard to find a basement on the West Coast. And my Grandparent's basement was even better than a regular basement, it had a kitchen in it. Yes, they had an upstairs normal kitchen and a basement kitchen for those days when it was just too hot to cook upstairs. And I am pretty sure they weren't freaks...I think it was kind of common.

Legend has it that when I was a toddler I would have my crib in the basement...yes, I know that sounds creepy, but I am pretty sure it wasn't meant to be cruel or unusual punishment. I think it was just a cool dark place that allowed me to sleep...I am not making it sound any better, am I? Anyway I will just go on with my story. Anyway supposedly my Mom and Grandma put me down for a nap, turned off the lights and left me in the basement and when they came back down to check on me a few hours later I had jumped out of my crib, with my blanket and I was laying on the concrete floor, unscathed and asleep. I truly think it was a sign...my Mom should have known from a young age that I wasn't good with sitting still, being confined or following rules. Love you Mom!!

Anyway back to the soup. I have tried several clam chowder recipes and I have found that they are either watery and healthy and kind of nasty or so fat laden they you can feel your arteries clogging as you eat it. And this recipe is actually a good halfway point, it has good flavor from the bacon and sauteed onion, but it is made with milk and a normal amount of butter. I found the recipe in Southern Living and just a quick shout out, I have liked every recipe I have tried to make of theirs. I actually was really happy with this soup, it is creamy and thick and just screams comfort food. There weren't too many clams so it wasn't chewy and the potatoes are boiled in chicken bouillon so they have a rich salty flavor. I do have to say that if I made this recipe again I would peel the potatoes, but I am also a little obsessive about potato skins, so that is just me.

The wine is just for me to drink...it is not in the recipe!

Ingredients:
3 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4 medium size red potatoes, diced
2 (6 1/2 oz) cans minced clams, juice drained and reserved
4 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
3/4 cup chopped onion
3T butter
1/4 cup plus 2T flour
4 cups milk (I used 1% and that worked just fine)
Salt and pepper, to taste


Anyway start by boiling the potatoes in chicken bouillon and water until soft and tender. Drain the water/bouillon. Yes, I know that sounds weird but you are going to make a roux and use milk for the actual broth of the soup, so this concoction is used just to flavor the potatoes.

Next saute 4 strips of bacon that have been cut into pieces and 1 diced onion in a pan until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon and onions and reserve 2T of bacon drippings.


Add the bacon fat and butter to a pot and cook until the butter melts. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not allow this to get brown, you want a white clam chowder.

Drain clam juice from 2 cans of clams and reserve the juice.


Slowly add the clam juice to the flour mixture, stirring constantly. Next add the milk, gradually, also stirring constantly. Cook until it is thick and bubbly and continue to stir. Seriously do not leave this mixture, even for a minute, as the flour mixture will start to stick to the bottom of the pan and can burn if you are not careful. And in my experience most people do not like burnt flour bits in their soup, just sayin'.

Remove from the heat and add the potato, clams, the bacon/onion mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Voila! This is awesome when it is served with some nice crusty bread and a glass of white wine. Cheers!