THE BEST MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER IN CANADA I had a stubborn but wonderful French Canadian Sous Chef that would prepare this for us on special occasions, but would not give me the recipe until I retired. He wanted to save it for his own restaurant sometime in the future, and serve it as a featured dish. However, he retired to help his wife sell Mary Kay, and eventually returned to Quebec... LOL
1) Render the salt pork in the soup pot, then add the onions, carrots, celery, leeks and green peppers to the fat and cook.
- 12 oz. little neck clams, drained (if canned, reserve juice)
- 3 cups clam juice (or water)
- 3 ounces salt pork, finely minced (you won't regret this addition)
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced leeks (whites only)
- 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. white pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (I added this as an option, but it really adds to the taste)
Stir frequently, until the vegetables are tender.
2) Add the minced garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes, then add the clam juice or water, plus the reserved juice from the clams. Add the diced tomatoes, and the remaining spices, the bay, thyme, and oregano, simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the diced potatoes and continue stirring and simmering until everything is tender, about 20-30 additional minutes.
4. Chill to allow the fat to rise then remove, or skim the soup for fat as it settles, discard bay leaf.
5. If chilled, heat through, then add clams and seasonings salt, pepper, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and Old Bay.
6. Serve when hot, about 2-3 minutes after adding clams.
ENJOY!This great recipe is from, Chef Carlo's new "SOUP, SEX, and the SINGLE MAN" Cookbook.