Clam chowder
Do you know what goes REALLLLY well with rainy/snowy/windy/cloudy days? YES! Clam Chowder! It’s warm and comforting, filling but not heavy, creamy and savory. Its like a cozy snuggle for your belly. It’s a very simple recipe that can be whipped up rather quickly. I just love a realistic and fast dinner idea!
Now if you’ve been around a while, you know that being prepared is the secret ingredient to successful meal preparation! So, with that, I give you your official Clam Chowder shopping list! Take this to your kitchen and see what you have and what you need to get at the store! Only buy what you’ll need. I love saving money whenever possible!
Now that you’re prepared with the ingredients you’ll need. We need to plan out when the best time to start dinner is. Look over your schedule, when does dinner need to be done by? Would it be beneficial to take care of some of the preparations first thing? Some ideas that may be helpful:
First thing after getting kiddos off to school/after getting ready, chop up the celery and onion. Pre measure the flour and set aside. Take butter out to soften. Set out the seasonings you’ll need. This can be done the morning of, a couple hours before or even the night or a couple of nights before.
Peel, dice and store potatoes submerged in water until they are needed. This is best done the day before or day of.
Get the now dirty/used dishes rinsed and in the sink or dishwasher. Staying on top of the dishes can help eliminate clutter and helps to keep things feeling more open and under control.
Set an alarm for an hour before dinner needs to be ready. Assemble everything and cook according to the recipe. If you are able to get the chowder made distraction free, you can set it to low on the stove and stir occasionally until its time to serve.
While the veggies are boiling, do some clean up. Unload the dishwasher, load up what you can. Wipe things down, set the table, set out left over containers. Finding things that can be done to assist in the cooking or cleaning while something is baking/cooking can end up saving SOOO much time later.
You now have the ingredients you need and some helpful tips to maximize your time in the kitchen, its time to start cooking! As always, please remember kitchen safety and to handle all the food safely. Avoid cross contamination. Keep cooking utensils away from curious hands and keep all pot and pan handles parallel to the counter. Don’t let pot and/or pan handles hang over the edge of the counter or stove. You’ll be needing the following tools to put this incredible Clam Chowder together.
6 quart or larger stock pot.
Cutting board- rinse between ingredients.
Vegetable peeler- watch your fingers and hands. Take this slow to avoid injury.
Chefs knife- Watch your fingers and make sure you’re holding the knife safely. If little ones are around, keep the knife out of their reach and watch out for sneaky little fingers.
Whisk- This will be used for the roux. Make sure to not leave it in the pot where little fingers could reach.
Mixing spoon- use this to stir the chowder from the beginning all the way through.
Liquid measuring cup- used to measure the milk/heavy cream.
Measuring cup- used to measure the flour for the roux.
Measuring spoons- used to measure seasonings.
We are ready to move on to the directions! This Clam Chowder is super easy to make and is going to definitely be a family favorite!
SUBSTITUTIONS
Potatoes can be substituted with Turnips. These are a good match in structure, texture and taste.
Fresh Onion can be swapped with onion powder or onion salt. If you use onion salt, use caution to not over salt.
Celery can be substituted using Fennel stock. Carrots can also be used, though they will adjust the overall flavor a bit.
Now clams are certainly not something that can be substituted, this is Clam Chowder after all!
The recipe calls for milk and/or cream. I prefer a mixture of cream and milk, but you could just use all whole milk, or all half and half. If you use all heavy cream, it will be very rich (too rich IMO). You can use any kind of milk. Skim or 1% will cut back on a rich chowder, 2% or whole milk are excellent options.
Cornstarch can be used as a thickening agent. HOWEVER, a roux brings a delicious flavor that is quite important in a chowder. Only use Cornstarch if you are in a tight, tight bind.
SIDE DISH IDEAS
Biscuits are a tasty addition to Clam Chowder. Buttermilk biscuits are a top favorite.
Breadsticks or a nice slice of homemade bread are always a hit!
Garden Salad
Cesar Salad
Fruit Salad
Crackers- Oyster, Saltine or Ritz
Croutons
Croissants or dinner rolls
HELPFUL TIPS
When dicing the potatoes keep them half an inch and as uniform as possible. This allows them all to cook evenly.
Cut celery in even uniform sizes. If you dice the celery in small pieces, add them to the boiling water 10 minutes after the potatoes are added. They will cook faster than the potatoes.
REMEMBER TO SET CLAMS ASIDE UNTIL THE END. If you add them at the beginning, they will get extraordinarily chewy.
When preparing the onion. Mine it nice and fine. Large onion pieces can over take a chowder and over shadow the clams, potatoes and celery.
When adding water to the vegetables prior to boiling, only add enough to cover the vegetables with an inch or two above the veggies.
