Second only to Gumbo, Clam Chowder.
For this version of Clam Chowder, I started by cooking roughly 8 ounces of Bacon (diced) in a medium Saucepan or Soup Pot, then removed and set aside. Make sure to save the Bacon grease.
In the same pan used to cook the Bacon, add about 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil to the Bacon Grease with 1 cup of Celery (diced), 1 cup of Onion (diced), 1 tablespoon of fresh Garlic (minced) and cook until the Onions are translucent and the Garlic is slightly browned. This next step is optional, but there should be some scorching in the pan so I like to reclaim that concentration of flavors by deglazing with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of white wine and letting that reduce until nearly gone.
After deglazing, add in 1/2 cup of Butter and 1/2 cup of Flour and whisk together to form the Roux. Once the Roux is made, stir in 4-6 cups of Chicken Broth, 2 cups of Heavy Cream (or Half & Half), 2 cups of your favorite Potato (peeled & diced), 2 10-ounce cans of Chopped Clams (juice is optional but recommended), 1 teaspoon of Thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of Old Bay, 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper & a pinch of Cayenne Pepper. Let the Chowder simmer until it reaches your desired thickness and the Potatoes are tender.
If you prefer to cook your Potatoes separately, I recommend boiling them in the Clam Juice. This will help to infuse the Potatoes with more flavor.
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