“Peppered Clam Chowder”

I don’t often start with a photo of the finished product, but this time it seemed like the right thing to do. You will find that this Clam Chowder recipe uses less heavy ingredients than its tasty counterparts. Yet, it is still thick and tastes rich. My husband is quite a clam chowder connoisseur and even he said that this version of clam chowder was “exquisite”. In place of some of the richness, I have added extra flavor, with pepper. But, you could tone that down and still enjoy this take on this clammy classic.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of Butter
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
1/2 cup Carrot, chopped
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
3 cups of Potatoes, cubed
the zest from 1/2 an Orange or Lemon
8 ounces of Clam Juice
3 – 6 ounce cans of Clams, with the Juice
1 cup of Whole Milk
1/2 cup of Half-n-Half
Salt and lots of Fresh Pepper

Instructions:

Saute the onions, celery and carrots.

Add in the potatoes.

Cover in clam juice and clam juice from the canned clams and add your parsley. Don’t add the clams at this point.

Simmer for 20 minutes or until the veggies are softened.

Using your immersion blender or traditional blender, pulse the mixture until only small chunks remain. The potatoes add body to the chowder and thicken it when blended in this way.

Add in your clams and salt and lots of pepper and heat on low for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with warm rolls or crackers…or both! 🙂

(Couldn’t resist closing with the final product as well! 🙂 )

Blessings!