Want to make a great homemade soup for those cool fall days? Try out this tasty chowder.
Provided by chef Paul Rodriguez
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ¼ teaspoon dry basil
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups seafood stock
- 13 ounces chopped clams (Pismo)
- 2 cups diced red potatoes – small dice
For the roux
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
Drain clams well, reserve juice, set aside. In a stock pot, add olive oil and butter. Then, add onions, celery, basil, thyme and bay leaf. Sauté until onion and celery are soft. Add seafood stock and juice from clams. Simmer about 10 minutes. Bring to a slow boil. Add roux and stir until thickened to a medium consistency, which will take about 20 minutes. Continue to stir until smooth. Add potatoes and clams; allow simmering at least 30 minutes until potatoes are fully cooked. In a separate saucepan, combine whole milk and cream and heat slowly until hot. Slowly add to the soup while stirring on very low heat. Add fresh ground pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped or sprig of parsley. Serve with a tossed green salad or fresh loaf of sourdough bread.
Fresh clams can be tricky to come by, but check these Indianapolis markets: Fresh Market on College Avenue and Kona Jacks on Meridian.
Rodriguez is a personal chef and Franklin resident. He also is the food service director at Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis.
