Skip to main content

New England Clam Chowder


I just got back from Cape Cod and of course, every restaurant I went to, I had to try the clam chowder. As I was eating them, some fabulous, some mediocre, I was thinking "I can make this".

I've made other chowders and I have made this before but it has been years and quite honestly, I don't remember how I made it so I am going at this anew.

I've had some chowders with bacon and some without so as a bacon lover, I wanted bacon in mine. I chopped an onion and 2 stalks of celery. I put some oil on the bottom of a stock pot and added the vegetables to sweat them. I added about a 1/2 cup of real bacon bits, its just an easier step but feel free to use strips of bacon. I didn't want the bacon to overpower the soup but I like the flavor it adds so I tried not to add too much. I also diced a bunch of red potatoes, some small some large, I think it was about 6. I added those as well.


At this point, I added chicken broth and a few sprigs of thyme, salt, and pepper and let it simmer. Once the potatoes were tender, I added 3 cans of chopped clams. Of course, fresh clams would be better, but I had canned, so that's what I used.  I added a can of evaporated milk.


In a separate pan, I made a rue by mixing butter with flour. I used another pan because I actually like to use cream cheese as a creamy thickener as well. I melted a half brick of cream cheese with about a 1/4 cup of milk. This makes a creamy thickener. I slowly added this to the rue. and then slowly added some broth from the soup until it was thin enough to add to the soup.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

So.... I still have some sauce left, hmmm I guess I'll make Linguine with Red Clam sauce. It's actually one of my favorites and I order it many times when eating out. It doesn't require a lot of sauce so if you only have a little left and aren't sure what to do with it, this is a good meal to make. Quick too! It doesn't take long because the hard part is done. You can make white clam sauce from this as well, just leave the red out and add a few more spices. Anyway, I melted a couple tablespoons of butter and added about 3 cloves of garlic. I used 2 cans of whole cherrystone clams and 1 can of chopped. If it were summer I'd use fresh but.... it's not and they are wayyy expensive right now. I add the clam juice in as well. Then I add about 1-2 cups of my homemade sauce. I like it with a little kick so I chopped up one those red peppers from the other day to it also. You can add white wine, red wine or beer to this. I like beer, about oz. simmer it al...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shepard's Pie

OK so, maybe it doesn't look that delectable but it WAS! Very tasty, and perfect winter comfort food! I cut up potatoes and put them in water to boil to make the mashed potatoes. In the meantime I browned up about 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef. Added onion celery and carrots, a cup of water, and 2 beef bullion cubes. I also added some frozen corn. You can add peas as well. I cut up 2 springs of Rosemary and some fresh Thyme added to the meat mixture. I then added a packet of brown gravy and a little bit more water and let simmer. Oh and salt and pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 375. While that was simmering I drained and mashed up the potatoes. Adding milk, butter, and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the meat mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish and then spread the mashed potatoes gently on top. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until bubbly. Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese on top bake an addition 5 minutes. Serve!
Post a Comment
Read more

Empanadas

Empanadas...they're delicious and the kids love them!! I never have leftovers when making these. If I have some they disappear before morning. You can put different fillings in, I made beef this time. I first browned up hamburger meat 1.5 lbs, I diced up an onion and put that in and then I added a can of green chiles. Now you can add peas, which I like but the boys aren't super fans of peas in general. I add pepper and the key ingredient: Goya Adobo. It's a Hispanic all purpose seasoning which is fabulous! I use it in a variety of dishes and always have it on hand. I add some cilantro. I also added some cheese not a lot about 3/4 cup. You can add it individually when filling the empanadas or not add cheese at all up to you. I used Monterey Jack but a white cheese is what you use when making cheese empanadas.   I actually let the meat mixture cool down before filling them. it makes it easier to stuff the empanadas because the dough gets soft and then br...
Post a Comment
Read more