Clam Chowder
serves 4-6
If you're in the mood for comfort food, a warm, creamy bowl of this calming clam chowder will ease the stress of all calamities. If you can't find sunchokes, substitute 1 1/2 cups chopped new potatoes. The fish stock can be replaced by 3 cups vegetable stock plus 1 cup clam juice.
Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.
1 pound littleneck clams
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
4 cups fish stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup smoked salmon (not lox), crumbled into small chunks
1 pinch saffron
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
prep: 10 minutes
total: 1 hour , plus 30 minutes to soak clams
large bowl
soup pot
frying pan
1. Fill a bowl with cold water, and add in the clams. Leave to rinse for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat a frying pan on medium, and add the butter. When melted, add the leeks and onions. Reduce heat slightly, and allow the leeks and onions to soften. When they become slightly translucent, raise the heat to medium, add the sunchokes and cook for 5 minutes. Then, add the red pepper and sauté, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large soup pot, bring stock, wine and clams to a boil and reduce slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the smoked salmon, saffron, bay leaf and rosemary and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard any clams that haven’t opened. Stir in the vegetables and simmer for a few minutes more.
