Simple! Simple! Simple!

Real New England Clam Chowder

Want real Chowder from a real New England, third generation, chef and without "fancified" herbs and seasoning? Want a chowder that screams crackers and napkins? This is it! Enough already with trying to prove that a Yankee Chowder needs 20 ingredients. There is a reason this dish has withstood generations here on the East coast and will continue to for many more to come. Hot, milky, highly flavorful and simply prepared. To me, and many other Downeast families, this is the epitome of comfort food. So make it as is and eat it, will ya'?

　

　

1 pound baking(russet) potatoes, peeled and diced

2 strips bacon, diced

1/2 small onion, minced

1 bay leaf

1 can chopped clams, drained

1 bottle clam juice

2 cups half-and-half or light cream

　

In a large saucepan, add the diced bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until just starting to crisp. Add the onions and continue cooking and stirring until the onions are softened but still firm. Drain the fat from the pan and add the diced potatoes. Add clam juice and enough water to cover by 2-inches. And don't forget the bay leaf. Boil for 5-6 minutes, or until potatoes are fork soft, but not mushy. Add half-and-half and the clams, stir to combine and heat to scalding. Remove from heat, stir gently once again and serve immediately. But to be honest, I love my chowder made a day ahead of time and reheated the following day. You can remove the bay leaf if desired, but you won't get kissed.

　

Simple and Creamy Maine Corn Chowder

Some people may say "Jim, your recipes are too simple!". I am proud of that because I have noticed more and more of the younger generation can't make even gravy and chowders, let alone a full meal. So here is another New England classic that I hope you enjoy in the simplicity of it, but with the flavor that will warm your insides in the upcoming winter. This is the second recipe for corn chowder I have given you. The first involved more bacon and onion, so choose for yourself which you would like to prepare, both are equally delicious. As for the name chowder? Many food historians have alluded to the word chowder as being a derivative of 'chaudiere", a pot used on fishing vessels by the French during the 17th century. I believe it is a dialectical result of Jowter, which was an old English fish peddler. Hence the first chowders made here in New England was fish chowder.

1 pound baking(russet) potatoes, peeled and diced

2 strips bacon, diced

1/2 small onion, minced

1(15-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 cup carrot juice

2 cups half-and-half or light crea1 tablespoon butter or margarine

　

In a large saucepan, add the diced bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until just starting to crisp. Add the onions ad continue cooking and stirring until the onions are softened but still firm. Drain the fat from the pan and add the diced potatoes. Add enough water to cover by 2-inches. Boil for 5-6 minutes, or until potatoes are fork soft, but not mushy. Add half-and-half, creamed corn, carrot juice and butter, stir to combine and heat to scalding. Remove from heat, stir gently once again and serve immediately.

　

　

　

Common Crackers

You don't find Common Crackers much anymore and that is a shame. When making chowder at home, take a few(very few) minutes and make these original crackers that our fore-mothers made only for the chowder-laden table. In essence, they are a very thin biscuit that has been cooked until crisp. Many old cookbooks say to soak your Common Crackers in milk before adding them to your chowder. Kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think? Regardless, They absorb chowder at just the right speed without becoming soggy before you finish.

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup cold butter or margarine

1/2-3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425-degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the butter and work it in with the tips of your fingers until the bits are half the size of peas. Add 1/2 cup milk, blending together to form a soft dough. Add more milk if needed.

Turn out onto a floured work surface. With plenty of flour, knead for a minute and flatten out with the palms of your hands. With a floured rolling pin, roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using the rim of a water glass, your preference in size, dip the glass in flour and cut out rounds of the dough. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Keep cutting and gathering up pieces of dough leftover from your cuttings until dough is used completely. Brush off excess flour from the tops of each cracker. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until well browned. Remove from oven and transfer onto wire racks or a paper towel-lined platter to cool.