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Clam Chowder

Source of Recipe

From "See You on Sunday" by Sam Sifton


Recipe Introduction

"Clam chowder may have originated in the cauldrons of coastal France and migrated to kitchens across the English Channel in Cornwall. But it grew up in the Plymouth Colony and is one of America's first recipes, a stew of fish or shellfish flavored and thickened with stores brought from Britain aboard colony ships: salt pork, biscuits, the odd potato. 'Chowder breathes reassurance,' wrote Clementine Paddleford, the great American food journalist. 'It steams consolation.' My version—essentially the same as my recipe for fish chowder—combines the clams with potatoes and leeks instead of the more commonly used onions (feel free to use those, though!), and is flavored with thyme and bay leaves, along with a splash of white wine. Using bacon adds a marvelous smokiness to the chowder. Using salt pork allows the clams to sing on their own. When I can, I use lobster stock in place of the water. When I feel like it, I omit the cream. Sometimes I add fish to the pot. Other times, mussels. You should do the same."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 24 medium quahog clams, usually rated top neck or cherrystone, rinsed
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ ¼ pound slab bacon, ideally double smoked, or salt pork, diced
â—¦ 2 leeks, tops removed, halved, and cleaned, then sliced into half-moons
â—¦ 3 large Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
â—¦ ½ cup dry white wine
â—¦ 3 fresh thyme sprigs
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ 2 cups heavy cream
â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Recipe

Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the clams have opened, 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain the clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels and set aside. Remove the clams from the shells and set aside as well. (Discard the shells.)

Rinse out the pot and return it to the stove. Add the butter and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon has started to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the fat and set aside.

Add the leeks to the fat and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, about 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, about 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Partly cover the pot and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.

When the potatoes are tender, add the cream and stir in the chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add pepper to taste. Let it come to a simmer, then remove from the heat. (Do not let the chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme sprigs and bay leaf, and discard. If you have the time, allow the chowder to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.