We continue our culinary journey in the United States, presenting the Boston Clam Chowder . This soup, typical of the state of New England, is both tasty, thanks to bacon and clams, and delicate because the potatoes and milk dissolve the taste of the shellfish.
The Clam Chowder is often served in a loaf of bread to be consumed with the soup . Obviously if the loaves are prepared at home, maybe with a little bit of wholemeal flour, the result will be much better; so we also propose the recipe for the loaves that serve clam chowder.
Obviously the Clam Chowder, like any traditional recipe, has many variations, some include salmon instead of bacon, other broth instead of milk; Manhattan stained it with tomato soup, but you will never find this heretical addition in Maine, because the use of tomatoes in this dish is prohibited by law since 1939 .
If you try one of the recipes on the blog, take a photo and publish it on Instragam with the hashtag #fratelliaifornelli and tagging our profile @fratelliaifornelli.
Boston Clam Chowder
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 kg of clams
- 3 large potatoes
- 1 onion
- 150 g of smoked bacon preferably in slices
- 400 ml of milk
- 100 ml of cream
- 1 tablespoon flour
- white pepper
- nutmeg
- chili pepper we recommend the white habanero
For half-wholemeal loaves
- 220 g of wheat flour
- 220 g of Manitoba
- 280 ml of water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 15 g of olive oil
- 8 g of fresh yeast
Instructions
For the soup
-
Cut the bacon into pieces about 1 cm long and brown them in a frying pan. When they're golden, degrease them and lay them on paper towels.
-
Put the clams in a large pot, cover and let them open on high heat (you'll need about 5-10 minutes); you'll have to check them constantly, because once opened they'll produce a lot of foam and you risk getting dirty the whole kitchen.
-
Shell the clams, filter they're cooking liquid and set aside.
-
Finely chop the onion, peel and dice the potatoes. Lightly grease a casserole, pour the onion and potatoes, sprinkle with flour and fry together for a few minutes.
-
Now add the milk, cream and clams' broth; cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. During cooking, add a generous pinch of white pepper, a generous grating of nutmeg and a pinch of chili pepper. Adjust the salt, taking care not to abound, because the bacon and clams make the soup more salty.
-
Add the clams and bacon to the soup and cook everything for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and serve.
To serve
-
Cut the loafs horizontally, eliminating the upper crust, empty them by removing the crumb.
-
Pour the soup into loaves of bread and garnish with a little parsley; serve immediately.
To prepare the loaves
-
Add the flour, salt and sugar, breaking up any lumps with a wire whisk.
-
Add the yeast, the oil and lukewarm water.
-
Knead the dough until it is smooth and compact.
-
Cover and leave to rest for a couple of hours.
-
Divide the dough into 4 parts, form small loaves and place on a baking sheet.
-
Let them rise in warm again an hour.
-
Bake at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Bread machine
You can safely use the bread machine to knead the dough and let rise loaves .