Waltham Clam Chowdah Recipes

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from 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 potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, approximately 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.
• When potatoes are tender, add cream and stir in chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme and the bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.

MY BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

EAST HAMPTON CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• In a small pot, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in a cup of the hot broth and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.
• Add the milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes to cook the clams. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

WALTHAM CLAM CHOWDAH

Steps:

• Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and leeks and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent.
• Add the celery, potatoes, thyme, hot sauce, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes.
• Cook 4 strips of bacon until crispy, saving the grease. Pat bacon dry and chop finely, then add to the pot. If desired, also add the bacon grease and stir to thoroughly coat the vegetables.
• Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• In a small pot, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the cornstarch. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The cornstarch will turn into a paste, so you may have to switch to a spatula, scraping the paste off frequently as you stir. Whisk in a cup of the hot broth and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables.
• Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.
• Add the milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes. Cook until the potatoes are soft. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

CHEF JOHN'S MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain baby and chopped clams. Reserve liquid in the refrigerator until needed and set clams aside.
• Place bacon in a soup pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir until well-browned and almost crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir until onions start to soften and turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Don't worry if some of the tomato paste sticks to the bottom of the pot; we want that to happen. Sprinkle in flour; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Dump in reserved clam juice plus bottled clam juice and chicken broth. Stir with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze any caramelization.
• Add carrots, celery, clams, diced tomatoes, pepper, and cayenne; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming off some bacon fat if desired.
• Add diced potatoes and cook until tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt, if needed. Stir in fresh tarragon and parsley just before serving.

WALTHAM CRAB CHOWDAH

Steps:

• Boil 2 ears of corn on high with a teaspoon of sugar for 8 minutes. Remove from water, cut kernels off the cob, and set aside for later.
• Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and leeks and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent.
• Add the celery (minus the leaves), potatoes, thyme, Old Bay seasoning, salsa, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes. NOTE: I made pomegranate salsa previously, so that's what I used.
• Cook bacon until crispy, saving the grease. Pat bacon dry and chop finely, then add to the pot. Add the corn kernels and bacon grease to the pot and stir to thoroughly coat the vegetables. Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the seafood stock, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. NOTE: I used a teaspoon of lobster boullion with a cup of water instead of the last cup of stock, but the ingredient list didn't recognize it.
• In a small pot, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the cornstarch. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The cornstarch will turn into a paste, so you may have to switch to a spatula, scraping the paste off frequently as you stir. Whisk in a cup of the hot broth and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables.
• Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.
• Check the crab meat for shells and remove as necessary.
• Add the celery leaves, milk, and crab and heat gently for a few minutes. Cook until the potatoes are soft. Taste and salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until light golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring, until almost no liquid remains, about 45 seconds.
• Place clams and 2 cups water in a large pot over high heat; cook, covered, until clams open, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove clams, strain liquid, and add enough water to equal 4 cups; use as stock. When clams are cool enough to handle, remove from shells and chop.
• Add potatoes, stock, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender but not falling apart, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; and stir in clams and cream. Heat 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

CHOWDAH!!

Steps:

• In a saucepan saute the salt pork and onions until onions are slightly translucent, and salt pork is cooked. Add the rest of the veggies, and clams with juice, and clam juice. You may need more clam juice, just enough to cover veggies. Bring to a boil.
• In the meantime, in another saucepan, melt the butter with the flour and stir together. In a small cup, stir the cornstarch together with 3 tbsp of cold water. Add the half and half to the butter mixture, then add the cornstarch mixture , stir in the milk. Bring to a simmer to thicken stirring well.
• When veggies and potatoes are done , add to the white sauce mixture, and heat through.
• Serve with oyster crackers and enjoy!