Soup Recipe: Clam Chowder or Cheesey Broccoli

I don't eat clam chowder but my husband loves it. Here's the recipe I use:

a few slices of bacon
1 chopped onion
10 oz clams
3 cups cubed potatoes
8 oz clam juice
2 cups half and half
1 cup milk
3 T flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the bacon and remove. Cook the onion in the bacon drippings. at potatoes, juice, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk flour into milk. Add milk, half and half and clams. Cook stirring constantly until heated through and thickened. Top chowder with crumbled bacon.

You can add whatever seasoning you like if you find it too bland. Some people add cumin, bay leaves, thyme.

For the beans I would add some chili powder, cyann pepper, paprika, salt, onion powder. That should give you the flavors your most likely looking for.

Regarding the soups, I make a broccoli soup that we really enjoy. Maybe your husband will too.

1 bag frozen broccoli
1 celery stalk
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
2 cloves garlic
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream or half and half
1/4 cup corn starch
8 oz. shredded cheddar
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut up celery, onion and carrots into small chunks and saute in stock pot with olive oil until tender, add in 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Allow to saute for another minute. Then add in frozen broccoli (or fresh) and chicken stock. Allow to come to a boil until all veggies are soft.

Either using an immersion blender or food processor, puree veggies (it's okay if there are a few chunks of veggies still for texture.) Then take cornstarch and cream and mix together until smooth and then pour mixture into soup and return to a soft boil until soup is thickened, (or you can add a flour and butter rue instead, which ever you prefer.) You can add the cheese at this point and stir until melted or you can put the cheese out to be added by each person as they see fit.

Serve with crusty bread or in a bread bowl!

For the beans.....I make them in a crock pot and cook them with onions, salt, a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch of chili pepper, and BACON!! Woot woot. So tasty.

No idea about soup, I just buy them from Safeway. I get the ones in the deli section because I used to work for the company that makes those soups and I know they are yummy.
L.

I don't measure. As a heads up.

Charleston Clam Chowder:

Onion *
Celery *
Bacon
Butter
Flour
Milk
Chicken Stock
Several Cans Chopped Clams (no juice, I don't like things too clammy)
Potatoes
Cracked pepper
Chives
Bay leaf
Parsely
Marjoram
Bristol Creme Sherry
Bay shrimp to top

* I half mince and half chop my onions and celery... so half of them disappear into the chowder, and the other half are chunky

Sautee the bacon, onion, celery until the onions and bacon are both transluscent. Add some butter (this is not a weight conscience dish), and start sifting in flour until it's one big gloppy golden roux. Add chicken stock and bring to fast simmer/boil to thicken, turn down to med. low and add milk, clams, potatoes, herbs.

Cook for at LEAST 1-2 hours on medium low.

Garnish with bay shrimp just as you're serving.

OPTION: The creme sherry is vital to this dish, but can either be added now (early) to cook off the alcohol OR each bowl served with a half shot of sherry to be stirred in just before eating. Depends on your diners. With kids, I usually just add a splash of sherry early on, and then for drinkers serve with a half shot, and for non-drinkers, no shot. Start LOW with the sherry, as too much COOKED sherry starts tasting acidic. You can float however much uncooked sherry in the bowls as you like, and it's still buttery deliciousness, but when you're cooking the alcohol, go light to start, then taste after the first hour. If it's a little 'citrusy', don't add more, but you might want to add some more milk to make it buttery again (as in there was too much sherry). If you can't taste it at all, add another splash. If it's just buttery and round in your mouth, then you splashed perfectly.

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If there is a no-pork-need (halal-ish or not-quite-kosher or 'no faces' pescatarian... then I make mussels moulniere to use as the soup base for the complexity that bacon give (mussels steamed open in white wine, garlic, parsely)... then shell the mussels, put the mussels back in... and then keep following the above recipe but go VERY light on the creme sherry.