Clam Chowder

I love cooking. Unless baking pastries is involved. That’s a different beast. It’s exact, and I’m not a fan of dough products or sweets of that sort. Giving accurate measurements to the dishes I make is impossible. Not because I don’t appreciate precision. A part of me loves number crunching.

I see creating in the kitchen, at least when I’m in charge, as making art. Depends on the ingredients, my mood, the weather, how the day’s going. Everything really. Okay, maybe it doesn’t fluctuate that much. Still.

That’s my long-winded apology for not having a nuts and bolts recipe to pass off to you. Sorry. But, I’ll still try and give you something workable and tasty.

For those of you who love or at least appreciate clam chowder and want to know what went into the version I made most recently and how to make it, here’s the skinny on what I made early this week. Oh, and by the way, this is a gluten-free and (cow or non-lactose) dairy-free recipe —

Ingredients:

• green onion – I was out of sweet onion
• celery – 5-6 ribs, cut thinly
• Pamela’s gluten-free bread mix – 1 tbsp
• 3 16 oz containers of Seawatch International Raw Chopped Sea Clams
• 3 8 oz jars of Crown Prince All Natural clam juice
• 5 russet potatoes – peeled and cut into squares
• Goat milk butter – somewhere between 11 tbsp and 1 pound
• Some lactose-free whole milk – maybe 1/4 cup
• frozen yellow corn – a handful or two
• California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil – a splash
• some chicken broth and/or water
• sea salt
• freshly ground black Malabar peppercorn
• parsley – some pinches here and there

Directions:

1. In a skillet or non-stick pan, I’m not sure what the difference is in name, with a splash of olive oil in place, on medium heat, cook the whites of the onion (or sweet onion until translucent) and then add the celery. Add some chicken broth and water and cook with lid on until tender. Add a tablespoon of bread mix, stir thoroughly, and turn off burner.
2. In a pot, I used my favorite Le Creuset dutch oven, boil the cut russet potatoes in the clam juice and water/clam juice from the chopped sea clams. Cook until tender.
3. Add the celery and onion mixture to the tender potatoes. Also add the clams. Once the contents are boiling, still on medium heat, add the goat milk butter (and whole milk as needed for extra liquid).
4. After the soup is boiling, turn the heat to low. Add the corn, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Let it simmer for at least 20-30 minutes. The longer the soup simmers, the richer and robust the taste.

Viola! Enjoy.