SERVES:
4
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups peeled, 1/2-inch cubed potatoes
1 cup finely diced chorizo sausage (casing removed before dicing if you like)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme (or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
four 6 1/2 ounce cans chopped clams
1 1/2 - 2 cups heavy cream or half and half
1/4 cup chopped parsley
crackers for garnish
PROCEDURE:
Start the cooking process by melting 3 Tbs of butter in a heavy bottomed soup pot on medium heat and sauteing 1/2 cup diced onion and 1/2 cup diced celery with 1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme.
While you're keeping your eye on that, drain four 6 1/2 ounce cans of chopped clams through a strainer, reserving the clam juice in a bowl underneath.
Once the onion and celery have softened up sprinkle on 2 Tbs all-purpose flour, stir that in and cook it for a couple of minutes.
Then drain and add the potatoes, add the reserved clam juice and one bay leaf and bring it up to a simmer.
Let that gently simmer along until the potatoes are just cooked through and you can add a little splash of water if the liquid gets a little bit low.
Once the potatoes are just about cooked through, but still firm to the touch, add the diced chorizo and drained chopped clams and add 1 1/2 - 2 cups heavy cream to give it a good chowder consistency and let it continue to simmer along for another 4-5 minutes.
At that point, add some fresh chopped parsley and black pepper if you like and it's good to go.
HINTS:
Make a version with bacon instead by crisping up 4-5 diced slices of bacon, scooping those out of the pan, and sauteing the vegetables in some of the rendered bacon fat instead of butter.