CLAM CHOWDER & POTATO SOUP

CLAM CHOWDER

*I usually double the amounts

2 T . butter

Splash of olive oil

1 c. diced onion

½ c. diced celery

2 T. flour (heaping Tablespoons)

2 cups Milk

1 can baby clams in juice

1 cup diced potatoes (or more if you prefer)

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 t. thyme (optional)  I usually leave this out.

½ c. Half & Half cream (or milk if you prefer)

1* In a soup pot, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and celery.

 2*  Saute until onion and celery are translucent.

3* Reduce heat and add flour, mixing well with a whisk.  Allow flour to cook as you whisk it continuously with the onion mixture for about 2 minutes.

4* Add milk and whisk vigorously, to get rid of any lumps.

5*  Add potatoes and seasonings; slowly bring to a boil and then reduce to a  simmer until potatoes are tender.

**Once milk and potatoes are added, the chowder needs to be checked often and stirred to prevent scorching and sticking.  Heat should be very low.  If scorching occurs, pour any chowder that is not scorched into another pot to finish the recipe without stirring up any scorched milk from the bottom of the original pot.

6* Add clams and juice and  continue to simmer for 5-8 minutes.

7* Finish with Half & Half cream or more milk if mixture needs to be thinned. 

*Serve with Frozen Butter Biscuits (recipe on blog).

 POTATO SOUP

Potato soup variation 1:

Follow steps 1-5, leaving out step 6

Potato soup variation 2:

To make milk-free potato soup, follow steps 1-3, then skip to 5 (leaving out 4,6 and 7.

Potato soup variation 3:   The one my kids get when they are sick.

For simple potato soup, simply place 2 cups of cubed potatoes into a saucepan.  Cover potatoes with water and boil until tender.  Add desired amount of salt.  Be careful not to stir potatoes too much or you will have mashed potatoes :)