Autumn makes me think of New England...and great white whales.

In case you were wondering, yes, this was delicious. The potatoes were tender and had absorbed much of the flavor from the clams and the seasoning. The bacon added a nice smoky component and seemed to play very nicely with the clams. I have to admit though that I didn't make it. My wife did and she did an AMAZING job. She said that it was a fairly easy recipe to follow although she did modify it a little due to the expensive nature of clams in the inter-mountain west. ($5.99 per lbs. Ouch!) Clam chowder is something we love to eat especially on cool fall and cold winter evenings. Chowder also goes extremely well with reading and this weeks book is Moby Dick.

Melville's educational narrative of Ishmael's tragic voyage with Captain Ahab, Queequeg, Starbuck, and all the rest of the ill fated crew of the Pequod is a fabulous read. The first line is among the best in literature and contains a mere 3 words. "Call me Ishmael." I found this book very entertaining especially all the things I learned about whales and whaling (from an 1800's perspective). In the beginnings of the story Ishmael and Queequeg seek nourishment  and the tavern they dine at serves up a particularly delicious meal perfectly suited for cool fall weather. New England clam chowder, though not made of Albino Sperm Whale is still a "seafood" that I consider...cozy. 

Tell me what you think, in the comments section, about Moby Dick, Clam Chowder, or any of the other posts you've read. And please share my blog with anyone you know who loves to read or loves to eat or both. In the meantime here is the recipe my wife used.

America's Test Kitchen 

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

• 7 pounds medium-size hard-shell clams, such as littleneck, topneck, or small cherrystone, washed and scrubbed clean. (We used 16 oz of canned minced clams with their juices and an additional 8oz of clam juice.) 
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 4 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 large Spanish onion, diced medium (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 medium boiling potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), scrubbed and diced medium
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper, or white pepper

Instructions

1. Bring clams and 3 cups water to boil in large, covered soup kettle. Following illustration 1, below, steam until clams just open, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer clams to large bowl; cool slightly. Following illustrations 2 and 3, remove clams from shells by opening clams with a paring knife while holding over a bowl to catch juices. Next, sever the muscle from under the clam and remove it from the shell. Reserve meat in bowl and discarding shells. Mince clams; set aside. Pour clam broth into 2-quart Pyrex measuring cup, holding back last few tablespoons broth in case of sediment; set clam broth aside. (Should have about 5 cups.) Rinse and dry kettle; return to burner.

2. Fry bacon in kettle over medium-low heat until fat renders and bacon crisps, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion to bacon; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour; stir until lightly colored, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in reserved clam juice. Add potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add clams, cream, parsley, and salt (if necessary) and ground pepper to taste; bring to simmer. Remove from heat and serve. (We added a dash of dill and some oyster crackers when serving)