Nana's New England Clam Chowder

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope your week is going well!

 This morning, I am enjoying a big cup of hot tea. 

It was 60F, this morning when I woke up. 

I took that opportunity to open the windows, and turn off the central air. 

FINALLY!

It's almost the middle of November and we are enjoying 84F afternoons.

The mornings and evenings 

maybe on the chilly side, but the days

are gorgeous!

With the cooler temperatures, I am looking for a little comfort food

to warm me right up!

There is one family recipe that everyone in our family is familiar with,

 and that's our Nana's Clam Chowder.

  I am truly blessed to have a copy of the recipe that Nana wrote for me. 

As she wrote it out, she tenderly explained it to me, and it was as if she wasn't explaining what or how the ingredients were added, but how she added that special touch to show how much she loved us all. You know when you taste something, it feels like there is love put in every spoonful or bite you taste. Now every year since, my children practically beg me to make this for them. It's like a warm hug in every bowl. My favorite part, is when she came to end, she would always remind me how important finishing off the soup was, by adding a Tablespoon of butter to the pot before serving. It gave the chowder, a velvety rich finish, that extra special touch! You can really taste the difference.

Nana's New England Clam Chowder

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks of celery cleaned and sliced

1 1/2 tsp. butter

1 tsp. fresh thyme

Salt and Pepper

6 oz. canned evaporated milk

5 cans of minced clams, Do Not Drain

*Salt Pork, cut into chunks

1 Tbls. butter

Oyster Crackers

*Salt Pork is very much like bacon, you could easily substitue it. It is very salty also, so if you are avoiding salt, use low-sodium ham or bacon.

1. Peel and dice potatoes into bite size pieces. Rinse the potatoes well. Place in stock pot, cover with water and cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes.

2. Cook salt pork in saute pan, about 10 minutes. Remove Salt Pork, and set aside.

3. In same saute pan, on medium heat, melt butter and saute the onion and celery, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the onion and celery, the cans of minced clams and clam juice, thyme, salt and pepper, and evaporated milk. Heat over medium high heat, for 10 minutes, until you can see steam coming from soup. Do Not Boil!

5. Add 1 Tbls of butter, to the chowder before serving. Serve with Oyster Crackers.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!