Aunt Josie’s Clam Chowder

I was in the mood for a nice, comforting bowl of chowder the other night. It was unseasonably cold and chowder sounded like the perfect choice for dinner. Since I had some frozen clams, I opted to make clam chowder.

Aunt Josie’s clam chowder is a favorite recipe of mine. I have loved it from the first time I had it. I used her recipe and was not disappointed. It is pretty simple, but full of flavor.

You have the option of adding some stock or water at one point. I sometimes have seafood stock in the freezer, but since that wasn’t an option this time, I used vegetable broth. It worked really well.

So here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Aunt Josie’s Clam Chowder

2 T. butter

1 onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

2-3 small potatoes, cubed

1 c. water or stock

2 (10 oz.) cans clams, undrained*

1 T. butter

2 T. flour

2 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste 

Sauté onions and celery in butter until tender, but not browned. Add potatoes and water or stock and cook, covered until potatoes are tender. Stir in clams and set aside. In another saucepan, combine butter and flour over low heat and stir in milk, stirring to make a white sauce. Cook mixture until it thickens and starts to bubble.  Add it to the clam mixture and adjust seasonings. Bring to a gentle simmer. I added some parsley right before serving. Serves 4.

* I didn’t have 2 cans of clams, but I did have a pound of clam meat in the freezer. I added it to my chowder, with a little extra vegetable stock. Worked out well.

This post is dedicated, with love, to Aunt Josie.