January 21: New England Clam Chowder Day

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Title: The Best Clam Chowder
Categories: Seafood, Potatoes, Pork, Dairy, Vegetables
Yield: 9 servings

24 Medium-size quahog clams;
- rinsed
1 tb Unsalted butter
1/4 lb Slab bacon or salt pork,
- diced
2 Leeks; tops removed, halved
- & cleaned, sliced in half
- moons
3 lg Yukon Gold potatoes; diced
1/2 c Dry white wine
3 Sprigs thyme
1 Bay leaf
2 c Cream
Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c Chopped parsley.

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.

by Sam Sifton

Yield 8 to 10 servings

RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

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... Invention of broth: This water is vegan? Bring me some meat water!
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