Beans and Toast

The earliest recipes for clam chowder date back to the ancient Mayan civilization. What is of course unclear to this day, is why they called it New England Clam Chowder. This specific recipe calls for fresh clams, unlike the Mayans who generally used canned. I think you’ll like it.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh clams
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme, left whole
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into cubes
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 Yukon gold potatoes, washed and cubed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful Italian parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Wash and scrub the clams to get rid of the dirt. Combine the clams with the stock, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme leaves in a large pot. Cover, and steam over medium-high heat until the clams have all popped open, about 15 minutes. Check every 5 minutes to pull out the clams that have opened (some take longer than others), and give the pot a stir. Pull the opened clams out of their shells and chop them roughly. Cover them and set aside. Pour the broth into a big bowl through a strainer that you’ve lined with cheesecloth, just in case there is leftover sand; set the broth aside.

Rinse out the pot and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta, celery, and onion. Saute this together for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Sprinkle the flour into the pot; stir and coat everything well. Gradually pour in the strained clam broth, whisking constantly to break up any lumps of flour. When all the broth is incorporated, fold in the potatoes, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes. The soup will start to thicken from the potato starch.

Reduce the heat to low and fold in the cream, milk, and chopped clams, about 5 minutes. Season the soup with many turns of freshly ground black pepper and stir everything together to heat through, but do not let it boil. Serve this in nice big bowls with some chopped parsley.