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No-Holds-Barred Clam Chowder

Source of Recipe


From "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman



List of Ingredients



• 4 to 6 slices good bacon (about 4 ounces), chopped
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 2 cups peeled and roughly chopped waxy or all-purpose potatoes
  
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
  
• 24 littleneck or other hard-shell clams, shucked; about 1 pint shucked clams, cut up if very large
  
• 2 cups fish or chicken stock, plus as much juice as you can salvage when shucking the clams
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 cup cream or half-and-half
  
• 1 Tbsp butter
  
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
  






Instructions



1. Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and let sit. Cook the onion, potatoes, and thyme in the bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 5 to 10 minutes.
   
   
2. Add the stock and stir to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Scatter the clams on top and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the clams open, 3 to 5 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the clams to a bowl. Lower the heat to the liquid bubbles gently and cook, stirring once or twice until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. When the clams are cool enough to handle remove the meat from the shells and add them to pot along with the bacon. (At this point, you can refrigerate the soup, covered, for up to 2 days; reheat before proceeding.)
   
   
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the milk and cream. Adjust the heat so the soup barely bubbles; don't bring it to a rolling boil. Add the butter and let it melt on top of the chowder. Garnish and serve.
   
   Makes 4 servings
   
   
   ◦  Fish Chowder: Instead of the clams, use 1 pound firm white fish like halibut or cod, cut into chunks. Add it after the potatoes are tender in Step 2.
   
   ◦  Manhattan Clam or Fish Chowder: Substitute 1 cup each chopped carrot and celery for the potatoes and 1 28-ounce can peeled tomatoes (you can use fresh - 3 cups or so), chopped, for the milk and cream. Add the tomatoes and their juices with the stock.