Clam Chowder and Christmas

I don't know why we had clam chowder for our tree trimming party in 1989 but we did and it started a tradition. Perhaps it isn't a tradition for the whole family since my daughters don't seem to like sea food as much as Cliff and I. It seems to me that that year we also started eating tourtière as one of our pre-Christmas treats. Below is our chowder recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 C butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 C flour
1 litre semi-skimmed milk
3 medium potatoes
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t thyme
2 5 oz cans of baby clams

1. Melt butter. Sauté onion till transparent and fragrant. Don't brown. Add flour and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Whisk in milk. Add parboiled potatoes and spices. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or till the potatoes are tender.

3. Add clams and juice. Reheat at serving time. Garnish with croutons, bacon pieces and chopped onions.

Chowder

I've just gotten back from 7 days at Othona at Burton Bradstock in Dorset, England, which is very much a centre of 'living more with less'! While I was there I racked my brain to come up with a meal that would reflect Canada when we celebrated the national day on July 1st. After too much time spent thinking about this, I decided to make a fish chowder and a strawberry pie. The chowder comes from the maritimes and the pie recipe is Mennonite, from Waterloo County in Ontario.

I have been having chowders quite a bit since I was reminded of them earlier in the year. The following is a recipe that we have enjoyed as a family for years but I've never really thought of it as money saving or nutritious. I suppose it is both. I served it with home made bread and the pie for dessert. However, it would be great to have a salad with it as well, or instead of the dessert. You could also use inexpensive fish from the freezer section. In this recipe I have used clams, which are a lot less expensive that I would have supposed.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients
1/4 cup of butter (2oz)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour (4 oz in a measuring cup)
1 litre of semi skimmed milk
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced and parboiled
1/4 t(easpoon) salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. thyme
2 - 5oz cans of baby clams (approx. 280 g.)

1. Melt butter. Sauté onion till translucent and fragrant. Don't brown. Add flour. cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Whisk in milk. Add parboiled potatoes and seasonings. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or till potatoes are tender.

3. Add clams and juice. Reheat at serving time. Garnish with croutons, bacon pieces and/or chopped green onions.

(Serves 6)

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Choose your own favorite chowder -- Manhattan, made with tomatoes or New England, made with milk.

1/4 c(up) minced onion (2 oz in a measuring cup
2 cans clams, drained (reserve liquor)
2 c diced pared potatoes (parboil)
1 c water
1/3 c diced celery
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
2 t snipped parsley
1 t salt
1/4 t thyme
1/8 t pepper

In large saucepan, cook and stir bacon and onion until bacon is crisp and onion is tender. Stir in reserved clam liquor, the potatoes, water and celery. Cook uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add clams, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. 6 servings.