Time for Clam Chowder - Manhattan Style

Can you believe it?? It was raining yesterday here in the Bay Area!

Perfect day to watch Giant's baseball, (they lost)  make some chocolate chip cookies (only so that I could have cookie dough to eat) and make some clam chowder. Thought we'd try something new, and make clam chowder with a red sauce, not the traditional New England cream sauce.  

Tom can vouch for it - he even had second helpings!


Clam Chowder in Red Sauce
Very simple recipe - here's what you need + a big pot!
1 pound of clams (or 2 cans of canned whole clams)
3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 yellow onion - chopped
2 stalks of celery - chopped
2 generous cloves of garlic chopped

3 potatoes chopped- I like mixing red and Yukon Gold, leaving on the skins for the best flavor

1 can of tomato paste

1 can of diced tomatoes (I like the ones with olive oil and garlic)
1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. dried basil or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 cups of chicken broth
kosher salt and fresh ground to taste

Saute' onion, celery and garlic in olive oil. Give the veggies about 5-7 minutes to become translucent, then stir in the chopped potatoes.  Dump in the spices, the tomato paste and the canned tomatoes, give it all a  good stir, then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, simmer gently until potatoes are becoming soft, about 10-15 minutes.  Add clams, if using clams in the shell, simmer gently until shells pop open and then serve.  If using canned clams, simply cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve with a nice sourdough. Voila' - a very nice rainy Sunday afternoon clam chowder!

....One of my favorite pictures, great memories of a cold, windy, misty day at Point No Point, in Hansville, Washington.  The water was wild, and the rip tides were fierce.  The best kind of day to walk on the beach and simply be amazed at nature's power and beauty.  A school of Puget Sound dolphins swam by on the Point in front of the Lighthouse, and 2 VERY large sea lions glided by after them....

We came home that October day, our pockets full of sea glass and made a big pot of soup too.