Clam Chowder

This chowder is even better if you sauté 1 small diced red pepper along with the carrots and celery. Serve the chowder with oyster crackers and a tossed salad.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 8 strips bacon
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 (6 ½-ounce) cans baby clams
• 8 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Optional: Fresh parsley, minced

1. Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces and add to the slow cooker along with the carrots and celery. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes. Stir in the onions; cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until the onion is transparent. Stir in the flour; gradually add 1 can of the (undrained) clams; stir and cook to remove any lumps.
2. Add the remaining (undrained) clams, potatoes, parsley, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and water to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
3. Stir in the cream, milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cover, reduce the slow cooker heat setting to low, and cook for 30 minutes or until the soup is heated through. (You do not want to bring it to a boil after you’ve added the cream and milk.) Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle minced fresh parsley over each serving if desired.

Speed Things Up

It’ll dirty another pan, but you can speed up the cooking process for the Clam Chowder recipe if you fry the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and then sauté the carrots, celery, and onion in the rendered bacon fat. If you do, stir in the flour and cook it in with the sautéed vegetables on the stove for 2 minutes before you add it to the slow cooker.