Christmas Eve Clam Chowder Recipes

CHRISTMAS EVE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 7-9 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup potato water., Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onion; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until tender., Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in cream and reserved potato water. Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Add clams, seasonings and potatoes; heat through.

CHRISTMAS CHOWDER

Steps:

• Pour 1 inch of water into a pot large enough to contain all the lobsters. Bring the water to a full boil. Remove the bands from the lobsters' claws and place them on their backs over the boiling water. Cover the pot tightly, and steam over high heat about 3 minutes. Quickly remove the lobsters from the pot and chill them rapidly by plunging them into a basin filled with ice and water. Set a wire strainer over a mixing bowl. Twist the tails off the lobsters over the strainer to catch their juices. Shell the lobster tails and claws over the strainer. Cut the tails into 4 quarters, leave the claw and knuckle meats whole, and reserve the lobster meat in a refrigerator.
• Peel the potatoes, split each into 4 wedges, and slice the wedges into 1/2-inch slices. In a large non-reacting soup pot, cook the diced bacon over moderate heat until golden and nearly crisp. Pour off all but about a generous tablespoon of the fat. Add the diced leeks, stir, and cook about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir, cover the pot, and continue cooking over moderate heat, stirring frequently to prevent browning, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes depending upon the potato variety and the thickness of the slices. (Chef's Note: I like to mash some of the potatoes with a fork to give the chowder a luxurious but rustic texture, but good mealy potatoes, such as russets, will release some of their substance into the broth, and this step may be unnecessary.) Add the strained lobster juices and enough water, lobster or fish stock, to just cover the vegetables. Simmer 4 or 5 minutes. Keep the chowder base hot as you prepare the lobster meat and cream enrichment.
• Heat the butter in a wide skillet. Add the lobster meat, season with black pepper, and saute over moderate heat 3 or 4 minutes until the meat is firm, opaque, and pink. Pour in the heavy cream, and rapidly bring it to a simmer. Pour the lobster and cream mixture into the chowder base, and stir gently to combine. Taste for seasonings, and adjust with sea salt (preferably from Maine), plenty of fresh-milled black pepper, and a pinch of chipotle or cayenne pepper. Off heat, cover the pot and allow the chowder to ripen for 15 or 20 minutes before serving. Ladle into warmed soup plates, and sprinkle snipped chives over each serving. Accompany with plenty of warmed common crackers.

CHRISTMAS CLAM CHILI CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cook the bacon and remove from pan, reserving the drippings.
• Saute the onions and fresh Thyme on a medium heat in the bacon drippings, till the onions are translucent, but watch the heat. Fresh Thyme burns easily. Then, add 1/3 cup of the Chicken stock and simmer the onion/thyme mixture, covered, to further bring out the flavor, until all the liquid cooks off.
• Using a large, heavy saucepan, or stockpot over medium heat, blend the olive oil and flour to create a sauce, but turn down the heat, flour burns easily. Stir constantly until browned and bubbly. Mix in garlic, and cook about 1 minute.
• Gradually stir in the chicken broth and red wine vinegar into the sauce mixture. Bring to a gentle boil to allow the vinegar to cook down but still stirring constantly.
• Now add in the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, okra, Rotel, red chile peppers, cooked rice, Cajun seasoning, and the Onion/Thyme mixture to the stockpot and simmer everything for at least 40 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally.
• Crumbled bacon, cooked andoulle sausage and clams are the last ingredients to be added, and then simmered for 20 minutes more.
• Once the soup is ladled into bowls, sprinkle black pepper, and place some fresh Thyme leaves on top as a garnish.

CLAM CHOWDER III

Steps:

• In a blender, combine onion, garlic and enough water to make a smooth paste. Set aside.
• In a large pot, combine potatoes, celery, salt, pepper, onion mixture and juice from clams. Augment with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, 20 minutes.
• Stir in half-and-half and sugar. Combine melted butter and flour, then whisk into soup. Cook and stir until thickened. Stir in clams and adjust seasonings.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan cook the bacon, the onion, and the celery in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the celery is softened, add the milk, the clams with the liquor, and the potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and simmer the chowder, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Stir in the scallion greens and salt and pepper to taste.

BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. , In a small bowl, combine flour and cold water until smooth. Stir into potato mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add clams and cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in milk; heat through.

CLAM CHOWDER / STEW

Steps:

• Fry bacon in a large Dutch oven until crisp, remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add onion to pot, saute until softened, then add potatoes and chicken stock.
• Season with salt and cayenne, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
• In a second large saucepan, melt butter, whisk in flour, whisking to make a roux.
• Cook for 1 minute, then add cream and milk while whisking.
• Cook over low heat until thickened.
• Pour into onion and potato mixture, add clams, 2 cans undrained, add clams only, from the other cans reserving the juice.
• Add Worcestershire and bacon.
• Add the other 2 cans of reserved juice a bit at a time to reach desired consistency and only if you want the soup less thick.
• Stir and gently cook over moderate heat until heated through.
• Transfer to soup tureen and garnish with parsley and paprika if using.