Best Cindys Awesome Clam Chowder Recipes

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

CAST IRON CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat bacon grease in a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic until onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add flour, salt, garlic powder, liquid smoke flavoring, and black pepper; stir until vegetables are evenly coated.
• Pour chicken broth and reserved clam juice over vegetables; cook at a simmer over low heat until potatoes and carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; stir in cornstarch until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add milk and cream; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir butter mixture into vegetable-broth mixture; cook and stir over low heat until chowder is thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes. Mix chopped clams into chowder and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes more.

AWESOME CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Sauté celery, onions, and carrots (if using fresh corn add it now) and in oil in a large skillet until softened.
• Add potatoes, frozen corn, bottles of clam juice, plus enough drained liquid from canned clams to cover vegetables*, and cook over medium heat until tender. *If not enough liquid add only enough water until vegetables are covered.
• After about 10 - 15 minutes, when vegetables are almost tender, melt the butter in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat.
• Whisk flour into melted butter until smooth and fully cooked.
• Whisk in half & half and chicken stock, stir constantly until thick and smooth.
• Stir in vegetables, cooking liquid, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams and shrimp - If they cook too much they get tough - do not allow it to boil. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar.
• At this point I took it off the heat and let it cool down enough to put into the fridge covered as I was serving it the next day.
• A couple of hours before serving I just put it into the crock from one of my slow cookers, put the lid on, then put it into the microwave at 10 minutes at 50% power to get it started and then into the slow cooker on slow.