As many of my friends know, I am not a fan of cream soups… in fact, I might be a bit of a dairy-phobe. Aside from a little bit of seafood here and there, a slice of good cheese or a bowl of yogurt with fresh fruit, I rarely eat any dairy. I find, however, most people adore them and as a result I rarely find a nice steaming bowl of Manhattan clam chowder when I head out for a bite.
This recipe was inspired by Sam Sifton's NY Times Sunday Magazine article dated August 10th, 2014 entitled "Founding Fodder," and it has four variations on the favorite.
Once I created the dish, I kept it hot in a crock pot to snack on throughout the day and offer to guests stopping by over the holiday weekend.
EQUIPMENT
Chef's knife (sharpened, please)
Cutting board
Stock pot or dutch oven
Large mesh strainer or colander
4 cup measuring cup
INGREDIENTS
2 cans chopped clams and juice plus one bottle of clam juice and water
-or-
24 medium-size top neck or cherrystone rated clams and four cups of water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil or (2 tablespoons if omitting the butter)
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 large ribs of celery, diced (include the leaves if they are on the stalk, they carry great flavor)
1 anaheim or banana pepper, diced
2 medium or one large carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 large yukon gold potatoes
pinch of salt
3 sprigs of thyme, remove leaves from stalk and then run your knife through them
1 bay leaf
1 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes in sauce, crushed or roughly diced
1 14-oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 teaspoon "liquid smoke"
1/4 cup chopped parsely
PREPARING CLAMS
If you are using live clams, put them in a heavy stock pot with about 5 cups of water over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the clams have opened (about 10-15 minutes). Clams that have not opened within 20 minutes should be discarded. Strain the clams from the resulting broth, reserving the broth for later. Remove clams from their shells and set them aside.
If you are using canned clams, strain the two cans into a to separate the clams from their juice. Pour the bottled "clam juice" into the measuring cup and top with water to measure 4 cups. Set the clams and clam broth aside.
Using the same stockpot, heat the pot over medium flame. Once to temperature, add your butter and olive oil to the pot as well as the bay leaf, crushed red pepper, onion, celery and carrot. Cook gently for five minute and be certain to reduce the heat if the vegetables begin to scorch. Once they are halfway cooked, add the garlic and continue gently cooking until the veggies are cooked through (about another 5 minutes).
Now add your potato cubes and and a pinch of salt. Stir them gently into the mirepoix and allow the potatoes to gently cook for about 5-7 minutes. Once the potatoes begin to soften, add 4 cups of your reserved clam broth and the thyme. Quickly chop the thyme leaves to be certain that any remaining stem is chopped and palatable. Raise the heat to medium high and once the pot begins to boil, reduce heat to a temperature which is gently simmering. Partly cover your pot and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring every so often.
While you are waiting, chop the clams to bite-sized pieces if needed.
Once the potatoes are cooked, use your spoon to mash a few of them to allow their starch to help thicken the broth. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, liquid smoke and grind in the black pepper to taste. Allow the chowder to come to a simmer and then turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf.
It is best to let the chowder rest and combine before serving. Allow it to sit for at least 1/2 hour, then reheat and serve garnished with fresh parsley. I also add chopped parsley to the pot for a bit of extra wonderful taste.
This soup is wonderful to reheat in your crock pot and leave on warm all day to enjoy with friends or family on a cold winter's day.
ABOUT LIQUID SMOKE
It's a good thing to have on hand when you want a little smoky flavor but don't want the fat, salt or nitrates of bacon. I use it in homemade barbecue sauce, ketchup and mustards. Sometimes I will add a drop to a manhattan just to throw a different note in the classic drink. Remember that you are after a balance of flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami. You don't want to over do it with any of these.
FABULOUS TOFU SANDWICH
I also make a fabulous vegetarian sandwich with liquid smoke. Drain and press a slab of tofu, removing as much of the water as possible. Cut the tofu in 1/4 inch slices and an area that will fit nicely on a sandwich. Sprinkle the tofu on all sides with a mixture of equal liquid smoke and rice vinegar and bake in a 350 oven until the tofu begins to brown. For bread, I like a hearty multi-grain, but you can use what you like. Make a wonderful spread of peanut butter and tahini and coat on side of the bread with it. On the other side goes a slice of cucumber, your baked tofu and a pile of bean sprouts. Sprinkle with a little more vinegar and top with the peanut butter-tahini covered slice. Enjoy!
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