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Creamy Clam Chowder
My mother-in-law, Virg, made the best clam chowder on God's green earth, or so my husband tells me. I'm more of a steer clear of competition type gal, so I never contested it or even made my own version. After all, there's always Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran, and I'm there, what, once every five years? I figured that was enough. You see, during the ten year's or so since I met my husband, Virg was really sick, and I never got to actually sample her clam chowder... or get her recipe. I just heard about the awesomeness of it all the time. She passed away last year, and I feel like it's finally time to tackle clam chowder in her honor. This recipe is dedicated to Virg and her wonderful soup. Whenever I eat it, I will think of her. -Sierra |
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| Try with Focaccia Bread: | ||
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| Bake potatoes on 400 for 1 hour or
until soft. |
Twenty minutes before the potatoes are done, cook the garlic and onion on med heat in 1 T butter until soft, about 5 minutes. | Add the flour and stir to coat. Cook the flour for 1 minute. |
| 4 small russet
potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 red onion, chopped 2 1/2 T flour |
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| Add broth and the
juice from both clam containers. Bring to a boil on high heat and cook
until thickened. Turn the heat down to med and add the half and half. |
Puree the onions into
the broth with a blender. I used an immersion blender, but any kind
will work. Heat the cream on med heat, but do not bring it to a full simmer. |
Begin preparing the mushrooms by wiping them down with a wet cloth. Rinsing them under water makes them too soggy. |
| 14oz. chicken
broth 2 small cans clams 2 C half and half (or 1 C whipping cream and 1 C milk) 1/2 t salt 1/4 t cracked pepper 5 white button mushrooms, chopped |
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| Add 1 T butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Melt the butter on high heat. When the butter's foam dies down, the pan is hot enough. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. | I quartered the
mushrooms to keep the pan from crowding. Move the pan back and forth
to toss the mushrooms for 4 or 5 minutes. When they brown, they're
done. Remove to a cutting board and chop into smaller pieces. |
When the potatoes are ready, score the insides with a knife in a crisscross pattern. |
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| Scoop the potato into the soup, making sure that the cream is not getting too hot. Turn the pan down low while you finish the soup. | Add the chopped mushrooms and the clams. Heat through for another minute and remove from heat. | Serve with crusty bread. |
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Problems: Boiled cream has a bad flavor, so make sure the temperature doesn't get too hot while you are assembling the soup. If you think it's going to take too long, just turn the soup off until you are ready to add the potatoes and mushrooms. You can always reheat it, but if it boils, you're sunk. |
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Clam Chowder (serves 4-6) 4 small russet potatoes
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