| 1 | (i made 1 ?times this amount - see parenthesis for amt). |
| 2 | place vegetables, bacon and margarine in a 5 quart sauce pot. |
| 3 | Saute over medium heat until vegetables are tender. |
| 4 | Be careful not to brown or scorch. |
| 5 | when vegetables are tender, add flour to make a roux. |
| 6 | Cook for two minutes, allowing flour to cook while stirring occasionally. |
| 7 | add clam juice and dairy products. |
| 8 | Stir by using a wire whip. |
| 9 | add fresh garlic, black pepper, chopped clams and clam base. |
| 10 | Cook over low-medium heat stirring occasionally to prevent chowder from scorching. |
| 11 | Cook for two hours or until chowder is brought to desired thickness. |
| 12 | if a crockpot, or small steam kettle is available, it is recommended. |
| 13 | Also, clam juice can be added to thin chowder down if it gets too thick. |
| 14 | note: this soup is the best clam chowder i have ever tasted! it is thick and very rich and fattening! i didn"t use the clam base since i don"t even know what that is. |
| 15 | Also, i didn"t need to simmer it as long as suggested. |
| 16 | I cooked it for about 1 ?hours. |
| 17 | The chowder needs to be stirred often, probably about every 5-10 minutes or so or it will stick to the bottom of the pot. |
| 18 | Also, i one-and-one-halved times"d it, using about 3 lbs. |
| 19 | Of chopped clams instead of the recommended amount. |
| 20 | I also served it with the little soup "clam" crackers. |
| 21 | It made about 5 quarts this way. |
| 22 | Deb c. |
| 23 | [ fisherman"s grotto restaurant in monterey, ca. |
| 24 | ] |
