Ingredients

Clam chowder is another of our favorite meals during the colder weather months. This recipe is based on one that arrived in my email inbox about 3-months ago. Like most other recipes we try, we used it as a starting point and have modified it for our palates. The original recipe can be found on the Eating Well website by clicking here.

Have to say this is an easy, fast and very tasty recipe. It only takes about an hour total to put together fresh, homemade soup to impress yourself, family, and friends!

The next time I make this recipe, which is this week (December 14), I’ll snap a few photos and update this recipe.

• 2 cups chopped broccoli stems, peeled if woody
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cups chopped potatoes ( ½-inch pieces)
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• ½ cup of diced carrots (or shredded)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (more or less depending upon desired thickness of the chowder)
• 2 cups bottled clam juice
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams, drained, juice reserved
• ¾ cup half-and-half
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ cup sweet baby peas
• 1½ cups fire-roasted corn
• 2 to 3 strips crispy bacon, chopped
• Small pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon separately and set aside. You can do this ahead of time. Our preferred method is to bake it in the oven.
2. Prepare all other ingredients while the bacon is cooking.
3. Add EVOO to dutch oven to bring to temp over medium heat.
4. Add broccoli stems, onion, bell pepper, and carrot (if using diced) to the pot. Cook covered stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes.
5. Add potatoes, mushrooms, and garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
6. Sprinkle the vegetables with flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
7. Stir in bottled clam juice, broth and the reserved juice from the clams. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
8. Stir in clams, peas (and carrots if using shredded), half-and-half, pepper, cayenne pepper, corn and bacon. Cook for 2 minutes.

C|D’s Notes

• For the bacon, we really believe baking in the oven produces the best and crispiest bacon. It’s easy to do and take about 20 to 25 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400º to 425º. Line foil in a baking sheet with sides for easy cleanup. Place a cooling rack in the baking sheet. Here you can either place the bacon directly on the rack or put foil on the rack. If you do the foil, poke a few holes to give the grease a path to the baking sheet. Bake until the bacon is getting crispy; about 20 or so minutes.
• As I mentioned above, we added stuff to the original recipe. We love veggies and so we add them as long as they add to the flavor profile of the recipe. The additions work in our opinion. Feel free to remove or add as you like. That’s one of the cool things about cooking is experimenting!
• Broccoli stems are recommended because they’ll hold up much better than florets in the soup.