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New England Clam Chowder
Serves 4 as a main; 6 as a starter
Ingredients
>¼ pound pancetta, salt pork, or slab bacon, cut into ¼ inch dice (Bacon will add a smokey note to the chowder.)
>2 tablespoons butter
>1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
>2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
>1 cup bottled clam juice
>2 ½ -3 pounds live cherrystone or littleneck clams (1-1 ½ cups chopped. See *Notes)
>1 quart whole milk
>1 pound of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
>2 bay leaves
>Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (Optional: use a pinch of celery salt in place of the Kosher salt.)
>1 cup heavy cream
>Oyster crackers, for serving
Preparation
1. Sauté the diced pancetta or bacon in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered, and the pork is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add butter, onion, and celery. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes longer. Add the clam juice and stir to combine.
2. Add clams and increase heat to high. Cover and cook, opening the lid to stir occasionally, until clams begin to open, about 3 minutes. As clams open, remove them with tongs and transfer to a large bowl, keeping as many juices in the pot as possible and keeping the lid shut as much as possible. After 8 minutes, discard any clams that have not yet begun to open.
3. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the milk, potatoes, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and just starting to break down, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the clamshells and chop it. Discard the empty shells (or sterilize them for a few minutes in boiling water and save them for your next batch of Baked Stuffed Clams). Transfer the chopped clams and as much juice as possible to a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Let the clams drain, then transfer the chopped clams to a separate bowl. Set both bowls aside.
5. Once the potatoes are tender, pour the entire mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl with the clam juice gently stirring the mixture to allow the liquids to pass through. Transfer the strained solids to the bowl with the chopped clams. You should end up with a white, semi-broken broth in the bowl underneath, and the chopped clams, potatoes, salt pork, and aromatics in the separate bowl.
6. Transfer the liquid to a blender and blend on medium-high speed until smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes. Return the liquid and solids back to the Dutch oven. Add heavy cream and stir to combine. Reheat until well heated and simmering. (do not boil!) Taste and season with salt and pepper to suite your taste. Serve immediately with oyster crackers, saltines, or croutons.
*Notes
For the best results, use live clams. If live clams are unavailable, skip steps 2 and 4. In step 6, add 1-1 ½ cups of chopped clams from your fishmonger, canned, or frozen clams to the chowder before heating through to serve.