New England Clam Chowder

Anonymous

I used a big can of baby clams I bot at the US Chef's store for 6.00. I only used half, as I don't like too many clams in my chowder. Diced the vegies small, sauted in butter with some olive oil (not a lot, just enough to saute them all nicely) added the garlic towards the end, added a spoonful of flour and stirred it around to coat everything. then shut off the heat and covered to keep warm. I had seasoned the veggies with old bay seasoning and pepper ( I like a pretty good amount of both) Meanwhile, had simmered up a batch of home made veggie broth from the scraps I keep in the freezer (couple pork chop bones were in there, otherwise just vegetable scraps). threw in some extra celery and carrot plus an old green pepper. Strained the broth. Cooked up a couple of big russet potatoes cut into smaller chunks in the broth for a half hour or so until really tender. Time to assemble: add the sauteed veggies, clam juice and clams, to the broth and potatoes. Simmer to thicken. Adjust seasoning, then add however much cream or half and half to taste. I probably threw in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Delish!! Best clam chowder I ever made, and I'm 70 years old.