Happy as a Clam

Even for soup aficionados, the idea of a steaming hot bowlful in the summer may sound contrarian. However, there is a palpable sense of excitement associated with the longer nights, shorter days, and the brisk afternoons of autumn. Not surprisingly, it’s the time of year when thoughts turn to hearty, rich, delicious soup.

Fall in the Cape Fear region is closer to the dog days of summer, of course. And without question, soup is simply more popular in the winter months. One need only peruse the aisles of a grocery store to notice how the canned offerings are often on sale in the blistering summer doldrums.

“Manhattan clam chowder is more like a summery thing,” notes Sheri Castle, host of The Key Ingredient on PBS. Generally, Manhattan clam chowder includes a tomato base, celery, carrots, potatoes and clams.

Traditional clam chowder has been in existence since at least the 1700s. Common ingredients are a milk or cream base with potatoes, onion, celery, clams, butter, bacon or salt pork, and sometimes a touch of dry sherry. This makes it the ultimate comfort food for coastal dwellers.

Compared to chili, its cousin in the comfort food category, chowder is much easier and faster to prepare. A quick chili recipe may only require around 30 to 45 minutes, but most would recommend simmering it in a slow-cooker for a minimum of two hours.

“There’s an art to cooking clams but beyond that they’re not that hard to plan for,” Castle says. “To this day you can go to the beach and gather your own, so it’s a cheap local protein. Also, they often open in the stewpot, so they’re much easier to get into than an oyster.”

The seafood-averse should not lose heart, as the autumn months are a good time to try a variety of flavorful, filling soups.

Tuscan ribollita is a particularly enticing concoction that seems to be on the mind and palate of many soup enthusiasts these days. It is a hearty soup that traditionally includes beans, day-old bread as a thickening agent, and kale, cabbage, basil, thyme and rosemary.

The second day is sometimes the best. Ribollita means reboiled, and it is commonplace to hear that the flavor profile of the leftovers substantially increases after the soup has been reheated.

Traditional Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup chopped fresh clams or 2 cans clams drained, set aside clam juice
• 6 slices thick bacon or salt pork
• 3-4 Tbsp salted butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 6 small white potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4-6 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 2-3 cups cream, or half and half,
• 2 cups broth, milk, water or canned clam juice (any combination)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste, can add dash cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Cook the bacon in a large stock pot, crumble and set aside. Set aside the bacon grease. Add butter, onions and chopped celery to the pot. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent and set aside. Add some bacon grease and flour, stirring with a whisk or fork for approximately three minutes. As the mixture thickens add liquid slowly (either cream, half and half, milk, water and/or juice from canned clams), stirring constantly. 

Add crumbled bacon, onions, celery, carrot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, approximately 20 minutes. Season to taste and serve with oyster crackers or saltines.

Meatless or Seafood Chowder

For a meatless corn chowder:

Replace clams with 3-inch sections of whole corn on the cob, corn cut off the cob or canned corn, plus more vegetables.

For a seafood chowder:

Add corn, whole or ½ cup cut off cob or canned, sausage in 2-inch sections, and any seafood, including 12 oz. peeled and deveined shrimp, 8 oz. scallops, 7 oz. crab, and 8 oz. white fish cut in to chunks, plus 1 teaspoon old bay.