Everyone has a favorite chowder recipe. Mine is very old-fashioned, a distant relative of restaurant chowder. It's not as thick, and it has more flavor. The best part: It calls for steaming the clams instead of opening them live. This yields the clam broth you need for the chowder and eliminates opportunity for injury. It also lets you know definitively if a clam is good to eat. Clams should be alive until cooked. Their shells should be closed before cooking and wide-open after cooking.
New England clam chowder
About a dozen medium to large clams
Two ¼-inch slabs of salt pork, finely diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup crushed plain crackers (such as Saltines)
2 cups clam broth (leftover from steaming the clams)
1 bay leaf
2 large potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 to 2 cups half-and-half
Scrub the clams and place in large pot with two cups of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to steam the clams. This takes only a few minutes. Discard any clams that did not open. Remove clams and strain broth through cheesecloth. Set aside. In a large pan, try out (render) salt pork over medium-high heat. When the bits are crispy and there’s fat in the pan, add onion. Cook until soft. Add crushed crackers and then the clam broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender. While potatoes are cooking, remove meat from clam shells and chop. Add chopped clams to chowder and heat through. Lower heat and add milk, half-and-half or cream. Heat to serving temperature. Avoid boiling. Serves four to six. This tastes even better the next day.
