The Oldways Table Excerpts: Stories, Lessons, and Recipes from Each Chapter

Chapter 7: Fish
Marian Morash's New England Clam Chowder

There are as many absolutes to a New England clam chowder as there are New Englanders. Rhode Island traditionalists insist proper chowder must have carrots, but it is not necessary to this recipe's creator, Marian Morash, who has lived in Connecticut and Massachusetts. It's fine to add your favorite ingredients, but she makes one restriction: never use flour or arrowroot in a New England clam chowder. You can shuck the clams and chop the raw meats. This can be time-consuming so she likes to quickly steam them open. You can steam open the clams and prepare the meats the day before you make the chowder. You can also complete the chowder and reheat it gently the next day. Marian's husband, Russ, thinks it gets better with age.

Makes 3 1/2 to 4 quarts

Blanch the salt pork in boiling water for 5 minutes to remove excess salt. Drain, cut into 1/4-inch dice, and set aside.

Scrub the clams and squeeze each open one to make sure it closes up when handled. Discard any that do not close. Place the clams in a large stockpot, add the water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook just long enough to open the shells, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, immediately remove the clams that have opened from the pot. Discard any clams that have not opened in 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the meats, taking care to save all the juices in the shells, and return those juices to the pot. Discard the shells.

Carefully and slowly pour the clam broth from the stockpot into a large bowl. Sand from the clams will have settled in the bottom of the pot; be careful not to let any of the sandy broth get into the bowl. Discard the sandy broth and set the reserved broth aside. You should have about 8 cups of clam broth.

Separate the soft clam bellies from the tougher muscle meat. Chop the soft belly meat into small chunks, place in a bowl, cover with a bit of the broth, and refrigerate until you are ready to use them. You will have approximately 2 cups chopped clams.

Mince the clam muscles until they are almost a puree. This is most easily done in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Put the minced clams in the same bowl that holds the belly meat. Depending on the size of the clams, you will have 1 to 2 cups of minced clam meat.

Place the diced salt pork in a clean 4-quart pot. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the pieces have rendered their fat and are browned and slightly crisp. Remove the crisped pieces and reserve.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions are golden and wilted. Add the reserved clam broth and the potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, skim off any foam, and cook gently for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Stir in the half-and-half and bring to a simmer. Add the minced clams and the chopped clams in their liquid, and cook gently for another 2 to 3 minutes to just heat through. Season with pepper and swirl in the 1 to 2 tablespoons remaining butter. Top each serving with the crisped salt pork pieces and serve with pilot crackers.

Note: If you like the chewy texture of the clam muscle meat, just chop the entire clam into small pieces and omit the mincing procedure.

Some folks like to leave some of the crisped pork in the pot and let it cook along with the potatoes. I find that the clam liquid usually is salty enough, so I add the salt pork as a final garnish.

If you prefer to omit the salt pork altogether, use 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil to cook the onions and carrots.

You can use half evaporated and half regular milk in place of the half-and-half.

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