Clam chowdaaah!

Good old New England clam chowder is so comforting on a cool evening. I could never understand its popularity on seaside lunch menus on hot summer days—it'd be the last item I'd choose in the blasting heat. But once the sun sets and temps drop I suppose it's a delicious soup any time of year. Dan has made this classic clam chowder recipe from Saveur magazine at least a dozen times over the years. The recipe calls for littleneck clams, and the soup broth is not thin or—worse—too thick. We find the broth on this just right: a milk base slightly thickened with flour that has been added to onions sauteed in rendered salt pork fat (pork fat rules!) with diced potatoes added in. Can't you just taste the layers of flavor? And of COURSE you have to buy and cook fresh clams, so the broth from them can infuse the chowder with that fabulous briny taste of the sea. Dan always garnishes this chowder with small cubes of crispy salt pork—we call them cracklings—and, true confession time, cook double the recommended amount. Oh, and fresh chives too. We don't do crackers, "oyster" or otherwise; it's just sacrilege and unnecessary when you use so many quality ingredients. And don't get me started on Manhattan style clam chowder. Just click the link above, follow the recipe and pull up a spoon—bow tie not required.

photo from Saveur magazine