Clam chowder with potatoes and dulse by Paul and Jeanne Rankin from Gourmet Ireland
(Note from Amity: This isn’t my recipe. It’s from the BBC Food website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/clamchowderwithpotat_7351.shtml. And I didn’t use dulse which, I think, is some sort of Irish seaweed.)
Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients
1kg/2lb4oz fresh live clams
25g/1oz dried dulse
2 tbsp onion, chopped
2 tbsp leek, chopped
2 tbsp carrot, chopped
1 sprig of fresh parsley
1 sprig of fresh thyme
400ml/14fl oz water
175ml/6fl oz dry white wine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
200g/7oz streaky bacon, rinded and chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter
250ml/8fl oz fish stock, light chicken stock or water
2 large potatoes, roughly diced
200ml/7fl oz double cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method
To prepare and cook the clams, wash them under cold running water. Finely slice or chop the dulse with a sharp knife and put into a large pan with the other aromatics: the chopped onion, leek, carrot, parsley and thyme. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours. Add the wine and return to the boil.
Add the clams, cover and boil vigorously for 1 - 2 minutes until the clams open. Drain them in a colander, being sure to catch the cooking liquid in a bowl underneath. This will be used in the chowder. Set aside while you pull the clams from their shells. Discard the shells and the sprigs of parsley and thyme. Keep the clams and the aromatics and place them in the reserved broth.
To make the chowder, fry the onion and bacon in the butter over a medium heat in a large pan until soft and transparent. Add the stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes to the pan and simmer gently until cooked.
Remove half this mixture and blend in a blender/food processor or mash. This will give you a thick, creamy soup which will thicken the whole chowder.
Combine with the rest of the potatoes, the clams in their juices and cooking broth, and the cream, and bring to a simmer. Taste for seasoning, garnish with the chopped parsley and, if desired, a dollop of whipped cream, and serve at once.
