My own take on Manhattan Clam Chowder made from Steele House staples…

On a snowy day like today, when there is no real hope of making it to the grocery store, it’s best to look into one’s pantry and try and make a little bit of magic happen.

After being out in the snow for the last hour or so walking two dogs, retrieving important items from our car left at the end of the driveway, and digging a path to the hot tub (all very essential items on our to-do list), Colin and I have found ourselves back inside and very hungry. Thinking I would make a tomato soup (yes, from scratch) and grilled cheese sammies, my eye was instead deterred to a single can of clams. “Oooh…” I thought to myself, “Colin’s gonna love this!”

Indeed, my own version of Manhattan Clam Chowder, or a tomato-based clam chowder, is one of Colin’s favorites, and armed (luckily) with the right ingredients, I was able to make this nice, warm, delicious soup on such a cold and snowy day.

Here’s the recipe:

**Feel free to add or take away almost any of the non-essential ingredients based on what you’ve got at home in your pantry and fridge. Just so we’re all on the same page–many of these ingredients should be present in your food stock at all times, as they are usually needed for whipping up just about any savory dish.

Ingredients

1 can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (we’ve usually got 3-4 cans at a time in our pantry)

1 can baby clams (this dish is great even with out them OR you can sub in clamato juice (1 cup) or clam juice (1 cup))

1 carrot, diced (carrots are in our fridge at ALL times)

1 celery stalk, chopped (celery is in our fridge at ALL times)

1 onion, chopped (yellow onions are always in our pantry, and are stored in a cool, dark, dry place-on the bottom shelf)

1-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (we’ve always got at least 3 heads of garlic lying around)

1 vegetable or chicken bouillon cube (always a staple in every kitchen, and handy when you’re out of veggies or stock)

1-2 teaspoons smoked sea salt (decadent but certainly not necessary. regular salt will do just fine! If you’re a big BBQer, a splash of liquid smoke will do the trick)

cracked black pepper to taste

a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes for an added kick OR a splash or two of your favorite hot sauce

Method

1. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauce pan over low heat while you chop veggies.

2. Add all veggies all at once and bring up heat to medium-high.

3. Cook veggies until slightly translucent and wilted, about 5-10 minutes depending upon the heat of your range.

4. Add your tomatoes. Then refill can 4 times with water (or you can just add 2 quarts water).

5. Add your bouillon cube and can of clams or clam juice.

6. Add salt and pepper.

7. Bring to a boil. then reduce to a simmer, thus allowing all flavors to meld. You can eat right away OR let flavors come together more, continuing to cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Alternative ingredient: Remember, a diced, peeled potato goes with pretty much any soup. If you’ve got a potato lying around (any sort will do) go ahead and add it in! While the potato cooks it absorbs all of the flavor of the soup-YUM!

Now my 30 minutes is up and I’m going to go enjoy mine…