Clam Chowder

Now that we have cable, I've been watching a LOT of the Food network. My favorite shows are Good Eats (love AB!), Ace of Cakes, and Barefoot Contessa. I saw an episode called "Girls that Grill" and she made some amazing looking clam chowder. I've never made clam chowder, but saved the recipe as a favorite and planned to make it sometime this month.

What do you know, Dori blogged about the exact same chowder 2 days later. We must have seen the same episode. I followed her lower-fat version for my chowder and it was delicious. I served with a crusty bread and it was amazing. I will definitely be making this again! I bought the pre-cut tubs of clams from the seafood department at our grocery store. They looked like they had a lot of liquid in them, but they did not. I finished off the 4 cups with some chicken stock. Definitely next time, I'll be sure to get clam juice.

East Hampton Clam Chowder (recipe from Dori - original recipe from Food Network) - makes ~10 servings10 tablespoons light butter, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 1/2 cups medium-diced celery (4-5 medium stalks)
1 1/2 cups medium-diced carrots (2 large carrots)
4 cups peeled medium-diced Yukon Gold potatoes (4 large potatoes) - I used 1 pkg mini-Yukon Gold potatoes and left the skin on
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups clam juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat 2% milk - I used Silk Soymilk3 cups fresh, chopped clam strips (approx. 1 1/2 pounds)

Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a small pot, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in a cup of the hot broth from the pot and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.

Add the milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes to cook the clams. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Yields 10-12 servings (1 serving = 1 heaping 1/2 cup)

WW info: 4 points per serving.