My Manhattan Clam Chowder....yum

Soup, soup, soup....I love soup! I've been feeling the need for some clam chowder lately, so I finally got myself together and made some early this afternoon. It was so incredibly satisfying...I was swooning in my kitchen. I mopped it up with a loaf of french bread and washed it down with some red wine...

 My Manhattan Clam Chowder
by girlichef
Svgs: ~12-15

 Bacon- ½ lb, diced *

Butter- 1 or 2 Tbs.
Onion &/or Shallot- ~ 4 diced **
Celery- 4 or 5 stalks, diced
Carrot- ~3 diced
Garlic- 8 cloves, minced
 Bay leaves- 3
Crushed red pepper- ~1tsp
Thyme- 8 sprigs or ~1 TBS dry
Red potatoes- ~2 lb, diced***
 Clam Juice- 2-3 c. (use 2 c. + juice from clams) Water or Stock- 4 c.
Tomatoes, diced- 2 cans (14 oz ea.)****
Parsley- big handful, chopped
Clams- 3 cans (chopped or whole)*****(reserve juice)

Sea salt
White Pepper (or black)

 In a Dutch Oven over low heat, cook bacon until almost done; drain all but a couple Tbs of bacon grease off. Add butter to pot. Turn up to medium & add onions, celery & carrot. Cook ~10 minutes or until soft.

Add garlic, bay leaves, crushed red pepper & thyme. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add potatoes, clam juice & water/stock. Raise heat to high & bring to a boil; Gently boil for ~15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add tomatoes w/ their juices. Cook another 10 minutes or so. Turn heat to low & add clams & parsley. Season to taste w/ salt & pepper. Don’t re-boil once clams are added, or they will get tough.

After this, I put on the lid, turn off the heat and let sit for an hour or so to let all the flavors mingle. Discard bay leaves & thyme sprigs. If you need to reheat, do so over low heat until just before simmer.

*I put a 1 lb. package in the freezer for ~45 minutes or so, then cut in half (short way)…then slice into small strips. These will break down nicely into a dice.

 **I used half & half in this recipe, because I wanted to use up some shallots that I had. Use both or either one…it will turn out fine.

 ***I like to use red potatoes, or another “waxy” potato because they keep their shape while still adding a little thickening power….if all you have is Idaho’s, russets or some other starchy potato, just peel them before you dice & use…no biggy.

 ****You can use fresh of course, but then you have to peel & seed them first yourself…..if you have whole canned tomatoes, just chop them up before you add them. Canned is much easier.

 *****I use 2 (6.5 oz ea.) cans of chopped clams & 1 (5 oz) can of whole baby clams. I like to bit into some bigger chunks sometimes. Feel free to use a combo or just one kind…again, personal preference.

 Serve w/ a loaf of crusty bread & a bottle of wine. I usually roast a head of garlic, too. Mop up yummy soup w/ bread…. All these ingredients can be tweaked to your own liking…don’t have to be exact, just use them as a guideline. But, if you like to follow a recipe, this is the one I came up with and it is oh, so yummy!!!! The crushed red pepper adds a little heat…nice against the juicy pop of the clam in your mouth….enjoy This makes a really big batch of soup. I’m sure it will half fine if you don’t need so much.