Happy New Year! ~Red Clam Chowder Recipe

Hey, the hot sauce is just a suggestion...

Uncle Bob’s Red Clam Chowder

Unlike most people today, I prefer the red Manhattan-style, or Chesapeake clam chowder (not that I don’t like the New England-style, it’s also great). This is a spicy-warm soup, great with a grilled-cheese sandwich on a cold day.  I adapted it from recipes I found online, including the famous Rocky Point Amusement Park’s recipe and I used Emeril Lagasse’s recipe on the Food Network for inspiration – but I altered and adjusted the ingredients and proportions for convenience and in the end, the result is more mine than anyone else's.  For example, I could not find any salt pork today (as called for in the Rocky Point recipe) – so I used some bacon I had on hand.  I've been thinking about this soup for several months -- I had a great red chowder from Chef Kramer at the Manzanita Inn (in Cornville) last summer, and I've been thinking about it ever since.   His was about the best I’ve ever had. I like this soup; we’ll see how I feel after I have a second serving of it for supper tonight…

What goes innit:

2 oz bacon, chopped

¼ lb chopped onion

Celery, 1 stalk, chopped

¼ lb potato, diced small

10 oz Clamato™ juice

15 oz can chicken broth

8 oz clam juice

10 oz clams in juice

1 TB dried parsley

2 tsp dried onion bits

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp sea salt (or reg)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery seed

½ tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 tsp paprika

2 TB cornstarch

Method:

In a Dutch oven on medium heat, (I used a cast iron Dutch oven), fry the chopped bacon with the celery until it renders the fat and starts to crisp.  Add the onion and cook until it is becoming translucent.  Add the potato and the herbs/seasonings; cook a few moments, then add the liquids, except for about ¼ cup (mix this reserved liquid with the corn starch and set aside).  Separate the clams from the clam juice and add that juice to the soup – set the clams aside. 

Heat and simmer the soup for about 12 minutes, maybe 15, until the vegetables are tender.  Add the clams, heat through, then mix in the corn starch mixture and heat the soup to boiling.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 to 20 minutes.  Serve.