» And now for the Clam Chowder…

And now for the Clam Chowder…

Frozen Fish Sticks.
Frozen Fish Cakes.
Tuna fish sandwiches.
Tuna fish pasta salad.

That’s is. That’s the extent of my exposure to seafood prior to the age of 19 when Paul and I started dating.

There was the time when I was 20 and my roommate said that she wanted to make a fancy scallops and pasta dish for our boyfriends, and I offered to peel the potatoes, because the only time I’d ever heard the word scallop was in reference to a creamy potato dish.

She’s probably still wondering what I was talking about.

Paul, however, was raised by parents who loved seafood, and he grew up enjoying it on a semi-regular basis, especially whenever they traveled down to the Texas Gulf Coast.

So it can’t be any huge surprise that I never have developed a great love of things from the sea. I’ve gotten to where I’ll eat shrimp occasionally and I love almost all fish. Crab is a wonderful ingredient. But as for lobster and scallops…I’ll pass.

Clam chowder also has never been high on my list, although Paul, the boys, and my Dad all love it. And it was Dad’s choice for his birthday dinner.

It just so happens that when Dad asked for clam chowder, I was reading Jacques Pepin’s autobiography, The Apprentice. (If you haven’t read it, you should. It’s fascinating!) And Jacques has a recipe in his book for New England Clam Chowder.

I can’t say I followed his recipe to a “T”, after all, I didn’t have access to affordable fresh clams and I’d used all the pancetta wrapping the asparagus spears. But otherwise, it was pretty close.

And everyone seemed to like it. Me included.

Here’s how I made it:

New England Clam Chowder

1/2 pound pancetta (or bacon)
1/2 large leek, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 T flour
2 springs fresh Thyme
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c chicken broth
2 bottles clam juice
3 cans clams
2 c half-and-half
1/2 c heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Slowly cook the bacon over medium heat. When fully cooked, remove bacon and all but 4 T bacon grease.

Stir flour into bacon grease and stir to combine. Add leeks and carrots. Cook over medium heat until leeks are softened. Add garlic, chicken broth, clam juice and potatoes. Cook on medium until potatoes are soft.

Add half-and-half, cream and clams. Heat to steaming, but don’t boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.