Return from Hiatus

The New Year has brought some changes in my life starting off with a significant birthday. Times like this makes you want to try to center and refocus. To do this I always find success in revisiting some old recipes that have been an important part of my life. As an example at the early age of 15 my first job was in a restaurant in Franklin N.H. where I grew up. I was fortunate to have two great mentors, the Barry brothers who took me under their wing and taught me some fundamental culinary skills and traditional New England diner cooking. There I learned the basic soups for all New Englanders and one was clam chowder.

Clam chowder was a mainstay in my recipe repertoire. Later, in my college years, during the summer months I found myself working on the Cape at a historic restaurant called "Lobster In the Rough" and also, the following year chefing at a January’s, a
restaurant in Naples, Maine.

So here is a great formula for a hot and hearty soup to take you through the winter months and perhaps remind you of your visits to the shore.

New England Clam Chowder
(makes 10 to 12 servings)

3 T butter
1 red onion, peeled and diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
3 strips of cooked bacon, diced (ok to use packaged, precooked bacon)
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
5 cups of clam juice. (I use 2 bottles and the juice that comes from the canned clams.)
2 bay leaves
1 t of sugar
1 t of dried tarragon
1 t celery salt
2 cans of clams. ( I use 1 can of chopped and 1 can of whole)
5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of heavy cream
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

Directions:
In a stockpot melt the butter. Add onion, celery, sugar and bacon. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
Add potatoes, clam juice, bay leaves, tarragon and celery salt. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, cover pot and simmer for 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add clams and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add Worcestershire sauce cream. salt & pepper.
Simmer for 7 more minutes
Remove bay leaves.
Garnish with oyster crackers and sprinkle with celery salt

.....as they say in Maine, "Ayup, good eating"