Clam chowder

Tonight I went to 'Enrichment Night' and the church, (and I took my mother, a miracle I know). I signed up to bring a soup. So I fed my family with it first and rushed it down to the chapel. This is a soup my mother taught me to make.

Looking at the list of ingredients, one can conclude that soup is not good for you., but is dang good. Its better that Market Street Grill's clam chowder. Alright, I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty sure it is Market Street Grill's recipe.

1 c diced potatoes

1 c diced leeks

1 c diced green pepper

1 c diced onions

1 c celery diced

2 cans clams in clam juice

1 T ground pepper

2 1/2 t thyme

4 t salt

1 t Tabasco

6 bay leaves

3/4 c white wine, or sherry wine

2 c water

1 1/2 stick melted butter

1 c flour

2 quarts half and half

Combine the flour and butter in a oven proof dish to make a roux, bake in the oven for about 20 minutes to cook the raw flavor out of the flour. Start to simmer the potatoes in the water with the salt. Now the next step I added after going to Certified Executive Chef Kent Anderson cooking class. He taught us you should always saute and aromatic vegetables before they get put in a recipe. He said they need to release their oils, otherwise even though they are cooked, they will still taste raw. So instead of throwing all the other vegetables in the pot to boil, I sauteed the leeks, onions, peppers, and celery in a tiny bit of oil. To this I added the pepper, and thyme.

Just after they became fragrant, I added to the saute pan the wine and poured it into the stock pot with the potatoes. Next I added the clams and their juice, and the Tabasco sauce. I simmered everything until the veggies were way cooked down. Then I added the roux. This should turn it to almost cookie dough consistency.

Then you add the half and half. Then you have to heat it all up again until it thickens up. Do not boil it. Just a simmer.

Serve with a yummy crusty bread and a big salad!