Clam Chowder (Manhattan/Cajun)

I'm still iterating this one a bit. I started with a kind of dull Manhattan recipe, then added elements of an over done (too herbal) Cajun recipe.

This recipe is for 1 extra large can of clams.
Costco has 51 oz cans, mostly juice. A more reasonable 32ish ounce can with less juice would do.

Brown 4-8 oz. diced bacon until mostly done. Add 1 large diced onion, 1/3 c diced celery, 3 Tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, and saute for about 1 minute. Add about 3 c diced potatoes, then juice from clams. Bring to a boil, then add 4 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp Thyme, 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce, and a small dash of Lousianna style (or Tobasco) hot sauce. Simmer until potatoes are nearly tender (about 20 min). Then add clams, (2 or 3) 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes and return to a simmer. Then salt to taste, and serve with oyster crackers.

Aaron Birenboim

Last modified: Wed Nov 23 08:25:57 MST 2005