NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Why I Love This Recipe
This is my all time favorite soup. If I am buying canned I like the Progresso brand.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 Cup onion, finely diced
1 Cup celery, finely diced
salt pork, finely chopped and browned
1 stick margarine or butter
1 Cup flour
5 Cups bottled clam juice
3 cans (6 1⁄2 oz) chopped clams
8 oz. cooked potatoes, cut in 3⁄4 in cubes
1 Cup half and half
1 tsp. salt
black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large thick bottomed pan, heat clam juice.
In a separate pan, melt butter over medium high heat.
Add celery and onions that have been finely chopped, and sauté until they appear translucent – about 3 minutes.
Add salt pork and flour and stir continuously for another 5 minutes.
This mixture is your roux; it will be added to the liquid to thicken your chowder.
Be sure not to leave roux unattended as it must constantly be stirred to avoid burning.
Increase heat on clam juice to medium high and with a wire whisk, add roux mixture to liquid.
Stir constantly to break up any lumps that may form.
Add clams and the liquid they are in to chowder and stir.
Chop potatoes coarsely and add to chowder.
Add half and half and stir.
Add salt.
Decrease heat to medium low and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring very frequently.
Marlene
