29 March 2008

Kyle's Clam Chowdah!

I finally used the big bag of razor clams we dug up in Ninilchik, Alaska, on the Kenai Peninsula this summer. I made some adjustments to a recipe I got from a local restaurant to come up with a clam chowder that exceeded my expectations. This was my first ever attempt at making clam chowder.

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Kyle’s Clam Chowdah!

2 cups processed clams

1. Clean and chop clams ahead of time until you have 2 cups worth OR use canned clams.
2. Keep in refrigerator until ready to add.

3 lbs potatoes
27 oz clam juice (bottled or fresh from processed clams)
2 tsp salt
Water (depends)

3. Peel and dice potatoes.
4. Add diced potatoes, clam juice, and salt to soup pot.
5. Add water until an inch or two above top of potatoes.
6. Boil until potatoes tender.

1/3 minced yellow onion (appx 2/3 cup)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 bunch minced celery (appx 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 stick margarine

7. Sauté onion, garlic, celery in margarine until transparent.
8. Add to potato/clam juice pot.
9. Add the following ingredients and seasonings to pot:

1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp Pappy’s Choice Seasoning*
1/8 tsp basil
3/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

10. Simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat.
11. Add the clams and the following:

1 pint (appx 2 cups) of heavy whipping cream.

12. Simmer until just starting to boil, stirring occasionally.

If chowder doesn’t thicken enough for your tastes, create a runny paste of flour and luke warm water. The paste should be lump-free and you should not use more than a 1 1/2 cups worth. Stir in gradually to avoid lumps in your chowder.

* Pappy’s Choice Seasoning is similar to Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and was used in lieu of the following ingredients, which you can use instead of Pappy’s:

1/3 tsp onion powder
1/3 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp celery salt

If you would prefer to use Pappy’s Choice Seasoning, visit www.pappyschoice.com.

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