NEWEST NEW ENGLAND HAM & CLAM CHOWDER FOR THE FAMILY

Steps:

• In a soup pot, brown the bacon; set aside when crisp.
• Add chopped onion (add the butter if you don't have a lot of bacon grease--otherwise save the butter for *later*--as noted below); saute onion for 2-3 minutes, then add potatoes, saute a few more minutes.
• Add green pepper to the pot, saute for about 1 minute.
• Mix veggies, then add ham and about 1/3 of the clam juice (don't bother measuring, just make sure the potatoes are covered).
• Simmer until the potatoes are just starting to get soft (20 minutes?).
• Add another shot of clam juice and 1 1/2°C of cream (or milk); return to a low simmer.
• Add remainder of clam juice from the big can and reserved from smaller cans; bring to a simmer again, stirring the pot occasionally to prevent sticking.
• ****If you'd like to have a more "rich" chowder, add the butter now.****.
• Mix remaining cream/milk with cornstarch, add gradually to simmering pot until slightly thickened (not goopy, please).
• Add salt and pepper to taste along with pinch (or two) of parsley.
• Remove from heat and add the clams; stir. Allow to rest for two - three minutes.
• Crumble crisp bacon over top of soup; stir.
• Serve immediately along with some hearty home-made croutons (1/2 loaf of French bread, cubed & toasted) and grated Cheddar cheese.
• VARIATIONS: Skip the ham and add 1-2 cups sweet corn kernels.
• ***NOTE*** When the store has a special on peppers, I buy a bunch, clean them up and chop into preparation-size bits, then quick-freeze them on cookie sheets (one-layer deep), then pour them into one-gallon zipper bags to store in the freezer. I keep a smaller container in my kitchen freezer for ready-access (and doesn't take up so much space).