New England Clam Chowder

I am an impatient cook, and I don’t like a huge mess in my kitchen. That’s why I rarely bring mesh bags of sandy clams in the house. Way too much bother.

That said, I love the aroma of clam chowder simmering on the stove. It’s the meld of flavors—clams, bacon, onions, potatoes and thyme—that gets my mouth watering every time. Below is my very easy recipe for New England clam chowder. This can even be made in a slow cooker on a work day. Just sauté the bacon and onions before putting in the slow cooker, and add cream right before serving (turn to high to make sure it heats up).

Jan’s Very Yummy “No Fuss” Clam Chowder

5 slices bacon (I use the uncured variety, without nitrites or nitrates)

¼ cup diced onion (about ½ a medium sized onion)

4 baking potatoes, cut into large dice (about ½ inch square)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small or 1 large leek (washed well, green part discarded, and thinly sliced)

1 8-oz bottle clam juice

½ teaspoon dried (or 1 teaspoon fresh) thyme

2 cans chopped clams (6.5 oz each), with juice

½ pint heavy cream

Dice bacon, and combine with onion. In a small Dutch oven (I use a 2 quart enameled cast iron one), sauté over medium heat. Increase heat if bacon doesn’t start to brown after a few minutes, but don’t brown too much. Drain any remaining bacon fat. Mix in potatoes, leeks, black pepper, and clam juice. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Remove about 1 cup of the potato mixture (without any liquid) and set aside.

With an immersion blender (or if you don’t have one, you can use a counter-top blender), puree mixture in the Dutch oven. It will be very thick, almost like really thin mashed potatoes. Return reserved potatoes to pot, and add chopped clams (don’t drain) and thyme. You may add more black pepper to taste (and salt, though there is plenty of salt from the bacon and clam juice, so I don’t add any). Bring to a gentle simmer and leave on the stove until you are getting closer to serving time. Stir frequently to keep it from sticking to pot.

About 15 minutes before serving, add the heavy cream and stir to blend well. Heat through until hot. Serve immediately.

I serve this with homemade bread (see previous recipe) and a garden salad. You may garnish with parsley, scallions, and additional bacon, if desired.

This makes four generous chowder bowl servings.