Corn And Clam Chowder With Zucchini And Herbs Recipes

Steps:

• If fresh corn on the cob is used, cut each ear crosswise into thirds. Set aside.
• Rinse the clams well and put them in a kettle.
• Cut the carrot lengthwise in half. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices. There should be about one cup. Add this to the clams.
• Coarsely chop the celery. There should be about one cup. Add this to the clams.
• Coarsely chop the onion. There should be about one and one-half cups. Add the onion, thyme and wine to the clams.
• Put the kettle over high heat and cover closely with a lid. Bring to the boil and cook until the clams open, about three minutes.
• Line another kettle with a sieve and line the sieve with cheesecloth. Or use a sieve of the sort known in French kitchens as a chinois.
• Pour the clams, vegetables and liquid into the sieve. There should be about two and one-half cups of liquid. Add the chicken broth to the clam liquid and bring to the boil.
• Meanwhile, remove the meat from the clams and set aside. Unless the meat pieces are small, cut the pieces in half. Discard the shells.
• Add the strained vegetables to the clam and chicken broth. If corn on the cob is used, add it to the kettle and cook about five minutes and add four cups of the cream. Bring to the boil. Add salt and pepper and let simmer about 20 minutes.
• If corn on the cob has been used, remove the pieces of corn from the kettle, using a pair of tongs. When the pieces of corn are cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs. There should be about five cups. Add this or the canned or frozen corn to the kettle. Pour the mixture, one portion at a time, into the container of a food processor or, preferably, an electric blender and blend. Combine the blended soup in a kettle and add one tablespoon of the lime juice, salt and pepper. There should be about 16 cups of soup. Add the meat from the clams.
• Bring the soup to the boil and swirl in the butter.
• Chop the peppers coarsely. There should be about three tablespoons. Put the peppers in the container of an electric blender. Add the remaining lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend as finely as possible. This is to be used as a garnish for the soup.
• Whip the remaining one cup of cream and add the blended pepper and lime juice mixture. Blend well.
• Serve the hot soup in 12 individual bowls and top each serving with an equal portion of the whipped cream mixture.

Steps:

• Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to opaper towels to drain. Pour out all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pan.
• Add next 4 ingredients to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are crips tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add milk to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and cook until slightly thickened, stirring often about 5 minutes.
• Add potatoes, clams with juice, and drained corn. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with bacon and parsley, and serve.

Steps:

• Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour out all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add next 4 ingredients to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add milk to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and cook until slightly thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, clams with juice, and drained corn. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with bacon and parsley, and serve.

Steps:

• Set up a clam steamer, or put about 2 inches of water in a large pot with a lid, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Steam open clams over high heat, covered. Large clams will take about 12 minutes. When cool, shuck the clams. Strain and reserve all clam broth, leaving any sand or grit in the bottom of the pot. Chop meat roughly and set aside. To save time, do this step in advance. (If using chopped clams, skip Step 1 and 2.)
• Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, season generously with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add garlic, red pepper and thyme. Stir and let sizzle briefly, then add polenta and stir to coat. Gradually add the water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk as mixture begins to thicken, then add clam broth and bring to a boil. It should now look brothy and just barely thickened.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until polenta grains have softened.
• Add potatoes to pot and simmer until just done, 12 to 15 minutes. Taste soup and adjust seasoning. Add more clam broth, if necessary.
• Add corn and zucchini and simmer 5 minutes until zucchini is tender. Add chopped clams and cook 2 minutes more.
• To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Squeeze some lime juice into each portion and top with a dollop of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with parsley and oregano.