Chowdah

There are two ways to make clam chowder.  I don't mean White and Red (or New England and Boston, if you like), but canned and fresh.

This is the easy way.  I still haven't tried fresh, but I will.  And you will hear about it here.

The recipe comes from my Oregon Cookbook, which I bought at Crater Lake, and for sentimental reasons is one of the first places I look when I want to make something and haven't decided yet what it will be.  The recipe itself is theirs; the pictures and commentary are mine.

Oregon coast clam chowder
4 slices bacon, diced
1 T pan drippings (I've never measured this; I just cook the bacon, then throw the veggies in on top and assume I have the right amount)
1.5 C chopped onion
1/4 C flour
1/4 C grated carrot (I'm lazy, and I like my fingertips, so I just thinly slice the carrot.  It works.)
1/4 C chopped celery
3 C peeled, diced potatoes (still lazy--I use yellow potatoes and don't bother peeling them.  But I do wash them well)
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 cans (8 oz) chopped clams, drained, reserve liquid.  (the cookbook is not specific about whether those cans are 8 oz each, or total.  I assume each, and err on the side of more clams.)
1 C evaporated milk

I feel like these colors are indicative of a specific flag, but I can't figure out which one.

This is where my version diverges slightly from the book's.  We both cook the bacon until lightly browned, but then they drain the pan (except for the 1 T drippings mentioned above), and I've never had so much bacon grease in the pan that I thought that was necessary, even though I hardly ever stop at 4 strips of bacon.  Do what you want.  It's cooking, not a nuclear reactor.

Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Stir in the flour; it will combine with the remaining drippings and form a roux, which will help thicken things later.  Dump in the rest of the veggies and seasonings.  Stir well.

Add enough water to the reserved clam juice to get 3 C.  Stir it into the veggie-bacon medley, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let it boil gently, uncovered, for twenty minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Check potatoes for done-ness.

Add clams and cook another five minutes.  Stir in milk and heat through.

Soup's on!

If you want my opinion, this should always be served with some hot bread or rolls.  Popovers are a popular choice in our apartment, and by happy coincidence their baking time coincides nicely with how long it usually takes to make this soup (after everything has been cut up).