| 1 | Directions: cook clams until just opened. |
| 2 | Strain and reserve 1 cup of broth. |
| 3 | Finely chop clams. |
| 4 | Fry salt pork in large dutch oven. |
| 5 | Remove salt pork and add onion; brown, being careful not to let it scorch. |
| 6 | Add potatoes and enough hot water to cover. |
| 7 | When potatoes are done, add clams, cook for 3 minutes over low heat. |
| 8 | Slowly add milk and cream. |
| 9 | Simmer for at about an hour being careful not to let it curdle. |
| 10 | Add thickening made of flour and butter, season and simmer slowly for an other hour. |
| 11 | Do not let it boil. |
| 12 | Serve hot. |
| 13 | Notes: my grandfather even had this recipe printed in the new bedford newspaper years ago. |
| 14 | If done right it doesn"t curdle and is rich & creamy. |
| 15 | He used to use cream .. |
| 16 | But we started using a combination of milk & cream ... |
| 17 | It"s just as tasty. |
| 18 | One other "trick" my grandmother started doing was using some instant potato flakes as a thickener in place of some of the flour. |
| 19 | Tastes better and works as well. |
| 20 | Lastly ... |
| 21 | If you like you can add the salt pork back into the chowder after adding the milk. |
| 22 | It is very important that you keep watch over the chowder so as to prevent it from boiling as this will cause the milk/cream to curdle. |
| 23 | If it curdles it just won"t taste right. |
| 24 | You can put in any seasonings you like ... |
| 25 | But keep it subtle ... you want |