What's Cooking Chef Roy

So it is almost Spring! 

There are still a few cold days left before all of those great out door activities start, so why not break out the stock pot and cozy up to a delicious steaming hot bowl of Creamy Clam Chowder.

Listen to a few of my tips for making your own fantastic Chowder, form the December 2009  weekly recipe on KXOJ http://craigandheathershow.info/?p=4155

Recipe: Serves 4 to 6

 3 Slices Thick Smoked Pepper Bacon

1/3 Stick Butter

1 Large Rib Celery

5 Tbsp Flour

1 Small Onion

2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed

1 Can Diced Clams

2 Cans Baby Calms

2 Bottles Clam Juice

1QT Half & Half

2 Large Baking Potatoes

1 Bay Leaf

½ tsp Dried Thyme

½ tsp Granulated Garlic

½ tsp Marjoram

2 tsp Dried Parsley

1 tsp Worschestshire Sauce

Tabasco, Fresh Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt to Taste

1. Wash the celery and potatoes, and chop the celery and onions….dice the potatoes into ½ inch & 1 ½ cubes
2. Line a strainer with paper towels, and pour the juice off the clams into a bowl allowing the paper towels to catch any sand or grit that may be in the juice.  Set the juice aside and pour the clams into the strainer and rinse to remove any sand or grit that may be on them.
3. Cut the bacon into ½ inch pieces, and brown it over medium heat in a heavy stainless pot. Add the chopped onions, celery, butter, bay leaf, thyme, garlic (crushed & granulated), marjoram, and parsley….allowing the vegetables to brown and soften just a bit, and the spices’ flavors to bloom.
4. Stir the flour into the vegetables and bacon to make a roux, and cook for just a minute stirring all the time….while continuing to stir, start adding the bottled clam juice, the juice from the clams, and the half & half.
5. Add the potatoes, and reduce the heat to medium low, and cook the potatoes until tender….some of the smaller cubes of potatoes should be falling apart, making the soup thicker.
6. Adjust the seasonings with the Tabasco, cracked pepper, and sea salt to your liking….now add the clams into the soup cooking them only enough to warm them through.
7. Serve with your favorite cheddar biscuits…. Enjoy!