It’s New Year’s Weekend which means I’m done with the big heavy cooking and cleaning and prepping. Now it’s time to have a cozy dinner by the fire with one of my husband’s favorite meals… Creamy Clam Chowder. Although he’s from Charleston, SC, he prefers New England’s take on this soup. Yes, it uses butter and cream and milk, but that’s okay because I’ll burn off the calories later while reading by the fireplace. I hope you all have a wonderful wintry weekend!
Creamy Clam Chowder
This is an easy recipe to make, but it's not really a do-ahead soup. About the only thing you can prep a day before is chopping the onions and celery. And it also does not freeze well because the potatoes get mushy. But if you have the time, it's a perfect soup for a cold, snowy night.
Ingredients
- 4 6.5 ounce cans chopped clams
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1.5 pounds Russet potatoes peeled and diced (about 3 medium potatoes)
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced (1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- dash white pepper optional
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Oyster Crackers for garnish
Instructions
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You will need a large stockpot for this soup. Open the cans of clams and drain all the juices into the stockpot. Stir in the chicken broth and potatoes, making sure the potatoes are just covered by the liquid. Bring the broth to a simmer and stir in the bay leaves. Then lower the temperature a bit but not all the way down. Cook the potatoes until they are tender enough to pull apart with a fork. This can take anywhere from 6-15 minutes. It really depends on your potatoes (type and age) as well as the heat on your stove.
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While the potatoes are cooking, use a frying pan or saute pan to cook the vegetables. Heat the oil and butter in the pan. Once the fat is melted and heated, stir in the onions and celery. Stir and cook for 5 minutes and then add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.
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Whisk the flour into the saute pan with the vegetables to make a roux. Whisk for a minute and then slowly add in the milk and half and half, whisking constantly. Bring to a low simmer and whisk constantly for another 5 minutes, making sure the mixture is smooth with no flour lumps.
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Stir the milk/veggie mixture into the stockpot. Then stir in the clams, salt, pepper(s), and red wine vinegar. Heat on low for 5-10 minutes and serve immediately.
