Clam Chowder With Spinach Basil And Corn Food

SPICY CLAM AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the chowder: In a soup pot or a Dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook until the kernels are lightly browned at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the seafood seasoning, thyme, garlic, celery, bay leaves, chiles and onions, and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
• For the croutons: Arrange the English muffin cubes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden. Melt the butter with the hot sauce. Place the croutons in a bowl and toss with the parsley, seafood seasoning and the butter mixture. Return to the rack set over the baking sheet and bake until deeply golden. Let cool.
• To finish the chowder: Place the clams and beer in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, and season with sea salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then cook at a rapid simmer until the clams open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
• Divide the clams and the cooking liquid among 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the corn chowder over top and garnish with the croutons. Serve with hot sauce.
• Cook's Notes: You can make the chowder base up to 5 days ahead. Cool and store in the refrigerator, then reheat over a medium flame. Buy the clams within 48 hours of serving and cook them just before you're ready to serve.
• You can store the croutons in an airtight container or in a foil pouch until ready to use.

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.

CLAM CHOWDER WITH SPINACH AND DILL

Steps:

• Put clams in a large deep skillet and add 4 cups water. Cover tightly with lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue cooking until all clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and let clams cool. Shuck clams, discarding shells, and reserve in small bowl. Strain broth through a fine-meshed sieve. You should have about 3 1/2 cups clam juice. Keep warm over low heat.
• Put olive oil and butter in a wide heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and leek, season with salt, pepper and cayenne, and cook until softened, about five minutes. Add celery, bay leaves and thyme sprig and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Cut bacon crosswise into 1/2-inch lardons. Simmer lardons for 2 minutes, then drain. Add lardons to soup pot, along with potatoes. Season generously, stir to coat and cook for 1 minute.
• Add 3 1/2 cups warm clam broth and bring pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Check seasoning.
• Just before serving, add reserved shucked clams, stir in spinach and heat through. Stir together crème fraîche and lemon zest and season to taste. Ladle soup into wide bowls. Add a tablespoon of crème fraîche mixture to each bowl and sprinkle with dill and scallions.

CORN AND CLAM CHOWDER WITH ZUCCHINI AND HERBS

Steps:

• Set up a clam steamer, or put about 2 inches of water in a large pot with a lid, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Steam open clams over high heat, covered. Large clams will take about 12 minutes. When cool, shuck the clams. Strain and reserve all clam broth, leaving any sand or grit in the bottom of the pot. Chop meat roughly and set aside. To save time, do this step in advance. (If using chopped clams, skip Step 1 and 2.)
• Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, season generously with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add garlic, red pepper and thyme. Stir and let sizzle briefly, then add polenta and stir to coat. Gradually add the water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk as mixture begins to thicken, then add clam broth and bring to a boil. It should now look brothy and just barely thickened.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until polenta grains have softened.
• Add potatoes to pot and simmer until just done, 12 to 15 minutes. Taste soup and adjust seasoning. Add more clam broth, if necessary.
• Add corn and zucchini and simmer 5 minutes until zucchini is tender. Add chopped clams and cook 2 minutes more.
• To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Squeeze some lime juice into each portion and top with a dollop of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with parsley and oregano.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place a large pot or rondeau on the stove and add 3 cups water. Bring the water to a boil and add the clams. Cook until the clams pop open. Though it is important to stir the clams as they cook, take care because the shells are fragile and break easily. Put the clams in a colander and reserve the cooking liquid. Shell the clams; discard the shells and reserve the clam meat and the liquid separately.
• Add the bacon to another large pot and cook over medium heat until crispy. Drain the bacon with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel, dust with Aleppo pepper and set aside. Add the butter to the bacon fat in the pot and quickly cook the celery, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Remove the celery with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the garlic, leeks and onions to the pot and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cook until the vegetables become tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vermouth. Continue to cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, combine the cream, thyme, potatoes and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Add a splash of hot sauce and Worcestershire. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning.
• There is a good chance there will be grit in the clam cooking liquid. Strain it and add it to the onion/leek mixture. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning. Combine with the potato mixture. Add the clam meat, reserved celery, tarragon and dill. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the marsala. Taste for seasoning. Add more cream and water if needed. Top with the bacon just before serving and serve with the Baked Bread.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat and add the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Heat gently for 1 minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the bread slices with the butter. Pour any remaining butter into the bottom of the baking sheet. Dust the bread with the paprika and dill seeds. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the slices are browned and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and cool for a minute before serving alongside the soup.

CLAM AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large stockpot over moderate heat. Saute the onions for 10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, corn and potatoes and saute 2 minutes longer. Pour in the clam juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the white wine to a boil in a large saucepan and reduce by one-third. Add the clams, cover and steam, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open up, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard any that do not open. Remove the cover and let the clams cool in the pot. When cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the shells, reserving the juice, and chop the clams. Set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid.
• Add the tomato, red pepper and jalapeno to the soup pot and cook over low heat an additional 10 minutes. Strain the reserved cooking juices and clam juice through a fine kitchen towel or coffee filter into the soup. Add the chopped clams and cook 10 more minutes. Stir in the cilantro, lime juice and pepper. Taste for salt, since the clams may be salty, and serve steaming hot.

CLAM CHOWDER WITH SPINACH, BASIL AND CORN

Steps:

• In a large, deep pot, fry the pork in the water over medium heat until the water is gone and the pork is lightly browned and well rendered.
• Add onions and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent. Add wine and clams, then cover and steam until the clams open. Remove clam shells from clams. Chop the clams fine and return to the pot.
• Add spinach, basil and peppers and simmer four minutes. Run a sharp knife down all the rows of corn kernels and, using the back of a stiff knife, scrape the kernels off the cob onto a plate. Add kernels to the pot and boil one minute. Add milk and cream and return to the boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

CHUNKY VEGETABLE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot add bacon (I cut into bite size pieces) saute lightly.
• Add in onions (and the celery which is optional) and saute briefly.
• Add Chicken broth (I often use two cans of both the broth and the clams) potatoes, carrots, reserved clam juice, salt, pepper and simmer until vegetables are done.
• Add in the milk, clams and chopped parsley stirring frequently until heated through.
• You may wish to serve at this point but we make a roux melting shortening in a heavy pan, adding the flour browning to golden brown and whisking into chowder.
• This can be prepared a day ahead, cool, cover and refrigerate bringing to a simmer (carefully stirring to prevent burning) before serving.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender.
• Dry them and the skins will slip right off.
• Cut into small dice and set aside.
• Saute the onion in butter until translucent.
• Add clams with juice and corn to the onion.
• Simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavors.
• Gently stir in cooked potatoes.
• Chowder can be prepared ahead to this point.
• Add combined milk and half and half to desired taste and consistancy.
• Heat thoroughly, but do not boil.
• Serve with warmed sherry on the side, to taste.

SPINACH AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Over medium high heat, cook chopped bacon in olive oil until crisp, remove and set aside.
• Saute onion, green pepper, garlic and dried peppers (if using) in left over oil until soft but not brown (3-5 minutes).
• Reduce heat to medium, add flour and whisk to form roux; cook roux until slightly toasty - do not let brown (3 minutes).
• Add stock or water 2 cups at a time, whisking to prevent lumps.
• Add corn, spinach and butter; simmer 10 minutes.
• Add milk, cream, reserved bacon bits and seasonings to taste, stir and simmer 5-10 additional minutes.
• **Optional** If soup is not thick enough, dissolve cornstarch in cold water, then add to soup and stir until thickened.