I absolutely love Chef David Farrell’s New England Clam Chowder Soup recipe!  It’s so very simple to prepare and and a perfect recipe for this time of year.  

This is his version of New England Clam Chowder, from a recipe he learned while serving in the Canadian Navy.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup butter
2-3 ribs celery, diced
1-1/2 cups onion, diced
2-cups unpeeled potatoes, medium cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans baby or minced clams
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp thyme
1-tsp Italian herb seasoning blend
salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook bacon until brown and crispy (not totally crisp) over medium-high heat. 

Drain the bacon fat and set aside.  Chop bacon and set aside.

Add butter to the same saucepan that is still over medium-high heat until just melted.

Add the celery and onions to the pan and do not brown.  Stir for about 3 - 5 minutes until a little soft but not mushy.

Add flour to pan and stir for about 3 seconds and remove from heat to stir thoroughly until a paste forms on the vegetables (do not brown).

Place back on the heat and drain both cans of clam juice into the pan.  Stir until it turns into a thick paste.

Add about a cup of water and continue adding until you reach your desired consistency.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add cubed potatoes, evaporated milk, worcestershire sauce, thyme, bacon, and Italian herb seasonings.  Stir until well- incorporated.

Let chowder simmer for about 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked.  Stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent from sticking to bottom of pan.

When potatoes are cooked, add 2 cans of clams to pan and stir well.

Add more water to thin out chowder.

Turn heat up and bring to a boil… turn down and simmer for about 5-minutes.

Add salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty sour dough or whole wheat bread.

NOTE: Here’s my personal recipe for New England Clam Chowder soup… it is NOT for dieter’s!

Always Enjoy!

The season for delicious soup is here!  This wonderful tomato soup recipe comes from the Bistro Jeanty restaurant in Yountville, California.  It’s one of many fantastic restaurant recipes in Napa Valley.  

The French term… “en croûte”… simply means to bake in a pastry crust. 

You will need:

2 1/2 lbs ripe/juicy tomatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 pound of onion
6 garlic cloves
1/4 c of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 T pepper corns
1 tsp. thyme
4 cups heavy cream
1 T butter
salt to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 lb. puff pastry
1 egg

Procedure:

Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns; cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Do not let the onions color.

Add tomato paste and lightly “toast” the tomato paste to cook out the raw flavor the add tomatoes, and water if needed. Simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes and onions are very soft and broken down.

Puree by passing through a food mill. A food mill works best, however, you may use a blender in batches or a handheld immersion blender until finished, then strain.

Return the soup to the pot. Add the cream, salt, white pepper and remaining butter to taste.

Bring soup to a simmer then remove from heat. Allow the soup to cool for two hours or overnight - in the refrigerator.

Divide the soup among six 8-ounce oven-proof soup cups or bowls. Roll out the puff pastry to 1/4 inch. Cut into 6 rounds slightly larger than your cups. Paint the dough with the egg wash and turn the circles, egg wash side down, over the tops of the cups, pulling lightly on the sides to make the dough somewhat tight like a drum. Try not to allow the dough to touch the soup.

These may be made up to 24 hours in advance and covered with plastic in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Lightly paint the top of the dough rounds with egg wash with out pushing the dough down. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Do not open the oven in the first several minutes of cooking as the dough may fall.

Serve immediately.

Always Enjoy!

This quick and easy Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe is perfect for a cold winter’s night.  You can serve it with oyster crackers, hot buttered dinner rolls, or even a slice of onion cornbread.

Here are the ingredients for your convenience:

2-1/3 oz butter
1 med chopped onion
3 chopped celery sticks
3 chopped carrots
3 T flour
3-1/8 pints chicken stock
3 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
17 oz cooked chicken, diced
2 T thick cream (heavy whipping cream)
2-1/2 tsp dry sherry
1 T salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
chopped parsley to garnish

1 large saucepan
1 wooden spoon
1 whisk

Always Enjoy!

Jane requested the following Pepper Pot recipe, which is a type of vegetable soup or stew, most popular in the Carribean.  The authentic version of this dish is traditionally prepared with honeycomb tripe, but more modern versions include shrimp, chicken, beef, turkey, sausage, or ham.  I hope that you will enjoy this stew Jane… I’ll have to try it one day!

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I don’t know about you, but Split Pea Soup is one of my favorite recipes.  It’s really funny though because when I was a child, I thought that the mere idea of eating something so green and pukey looking, was absolutely horrific.

Every time my mom made this soup, I just knew that I was in big trouble.  I just knew that I had done something terribly wrong and that feeding me split pea soup was her covert way of punishing me.  Big time.  There was no other explanation for it.  I’d rather have taken a whipping for this awful thing I must have done rather than eating such an awful, thick, and lumpy looking concoction in my bowl.

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This is my number one recipe for homemade Chinese Hot-And-Sour Soup  although I can’t take credit for it.  Ruth, who is the owner of a catering company in Florida, gave it to me about a year or so ago. I think that it’s wonderfully aromatic and tasty. 

I’ve eaten hot-and-sour soup in five star restaurants and no star restaurants and you know what?  It doesn’t make a bit of difference where you eat it; it just depends on the chef’s recipe and whether or not he or she will take the time to do the prep work.

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