Two Fat Ladies Clam Chowder a'la Emeril Recipe

• By: SiBurning
• Cuisine: New England meets Louisiana
• Serves 4

My friend asked her Aunt Margie how she makes her amazing clam chowder. She replied "First I send Uncle Harold down to Coney Island to get the clams".

This clam chowder was inspired by the Two Fat Ladies, but takes a turn from New England to Louisiana courtesy of Emeril Lagasse. It may not be Aunt Margie's clam chowder, but it's deeply complex, and deliciously sweet, with the barest hint of heat and smoke.

It's simple enough to make. Just take your favorite clam chowder recipe and modify it as follows.

• From the Two Fat Ladies: add vermouth
• From me: skip any milk, cream, and thickeners such as flour.
• From Emeril Lagasse: add sweet corn & Tabasco sauce
• From I don't remember who: add Worcestershire sauce

That's it. Need a recipe to follow? Here's mine.

My recipe has a few modifications to the classics that serve to complement the presentation. It's also jammed full of gently cooked vegetables, so it's light and refreshing, and the slight crunch makes for a nice texture complement to clams.

I usually wing this soup, going by sight, mood, and taste, aiming for 4 pint size bowls with barely enough broth to cover all those clams and vegetables. My guests always complain they want more broth, but it would just taste watered down. Unlike other clam chowders, the broth should come out crystal clear, so your guests will see every little speck of pepper and marvel at the care you took in cutting the vegetables.

• 2-4 slices American style or other smoked bacon, diced. About 2-4 oz.
• 1 medium onion, diced. About 4-6 oz.. Or use the whites and light greens of a small leek or two.
• ½ cup celery, diced. About 2 oz.
• 1 medium carrot, diced. About 2-3 oz. (optional)
• 3-4 oz of green pepper (optional--this could easily cloud the broth, but helps bind the hot pepper sauce)
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 2 green onions (scallions). Sliced into thin rounds, with the dark green parts chopped fine.

• 1 cup vermouth. Either dry or sweet.
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco or other vinegary hot sauce
• 1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ear sweet corn. Or one 10-14 oz can with liquid.
• 16 oz clam juice
• 3-4 red potatoes, cut into soup-spoon-friendly pieces. I make 3/8" squares, 1" long.
• A scant ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt. Or ¼ teaspoon table salt.
• Black pepper

• 6-12 oz clams. Or 1-2 10 oz. cans whole baby clams.

• Parsley, chopped fresh

• Smoked tofu or other smoke flavor can substitute for the bacon. The meat, though a nice flavor addition, is less important than the smoke. To tell the truth, I'd prefer to skip the bacon because of the texture, but the flavor wins. If you substitute Italian or other non-smoked bacon, you'll miss the smoky undertones. Perhaps a shot of smoky scotch would do the trick.

In a 2-1/2 or 3 quart heavy bottom pot.

Prepare the base

1. Fry the bacon until crisp. If you use a low fat substitute, use 1-2 tablespoons oil. Leave the fat or oil to cook the vegetables. We'll skim it off later.
2. Add the onion, celery, carrot, (optional green pepper) and bay leaf. Sweat for about 10 minutes until the carrots are just barely tender.
3. Add the green onion at the last minute, letting them just barely cook. For a bit more bite, save some for the end as a garnish.

Make the soup

1. Add the vermouth, clam juice or liquor, and any liquid from the canned corn and clams.
2. Bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
3. Skim off the fat
4. Add potatoes, corn, Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt, and 7-8 turns of the pepper mill
5. Simmer about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are done.
6. Skim again

Add the clams

1. Taste, correct seasoning (remembering there's no clams yet, so easy on the salt if you use canned clams), adding hot water, if necessary.
2. Add the clams.
3. Add the green onion here for less bite, or after cooking as a garnish.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes, or just enough to cook the clams through.

Finish

1. Remove the bay leaf
2. Correct seasonings
3. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley (and green onion, if you skipped them earlier)