<RJ> wrote:

> It's always puzzled me;
>
> Why the Salt Pork ?

Because housewives were more likely to have salt pork on hand than bacon
in the days when chowders were an inexpensive staple of the coastal
diet. Chowders were really cheap fare...most had a milking cow, there
were always potatoes and onions in the garden or root cellar and the
seafood portion was either dug or carried home in the day's catch.

>
> Would chopped soft--fried bacon work as well ?

Yes...the flavor is a little bit different but still darned tastey.
I'll adulterate chowder by adding a couple of crumbled strips of crispy
bacon.


>
> On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 12:37:17 -0500, "Jessica V." > wrote:
>
>
wrote:
>>
>>>It turned out great! I shared it with my neighbours, who enjoyed it as
>>>much as I did.
>>
>>
>>It sounds good, but it certainly isn't New Englad clam chowda. Chowda
>>is simple old New England fare made with what was available to the early
>>settlers.
>>
>>Somewhere I have a 1700s recipe for clam chowder but can't put my hands
>>on it right now. Here is the recipe I have from the 1940s.
>>
>>1 qt fresh Maine clams, shucked
>>2 thin slices salt pork
>>1 small onion diced
>>4 cups diced small potatoes
>>1 cup water
>>salt & pepper
>>1 1/2 quarts milk
>>Piece of butter
>>Common crackers
>>
>>Fry out salt pork using low heat. Remove pork and cook onion slowly in
>>fat, do not burn onion. aa the four cups diced potatoes and the water,
>>better add a little salt and pepper right now. Cover kettle, bring to
>>steaming point, lower heat, cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
>>
>>In the meantime, using cutting board and a sharp knife, cut the head of
>>each clam into two or three pieces. Do the same with the firm part of
>>the clam and the soft part of the bellies, also. No, I do not remove
>>the black part. Save any juice you can.
>>
>>When potatoes are soft, stir in cut clams, cover pan again, let cook for
>>three minutes, no longer for it toughens the clams. Add 1 1/2 quarts
>>milk. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary. Keep in
>>mind that as the chowder ripens it may be salty enough. Add piece of
>>butter.
>>
>>Serve with common crackers or pilot crackers. Not sure if pilot
>>crackers can be found outside of northern New England.
>>
>>Jessica
>>
>>>New England Clam Chowder
>>>Chef Paul Prudhomme, _Seasoned America_
>>>
>>>Makes 12 main-course servings
>>>or 16 first-course servings
>>>
>>>There is probably no other dish native to New England about which New
>>>Englanders disagree more. No one is certain who first came up with the
>>>idea of cooking seafood in milk, but it seems likely that the
>>>combination arrived in Massachusetts in the seventeenth century with
>>>settlers from Old England. There always has been debate about how to
>>>properly thicken a clam chowder, and we agree with those who refuse to
>>>use flour, since it tends to neutralize the pungency of the clams. Our
>>>recipe depends on both diced and grated potatoes, which not only
>>>thicken the soup naturally but add a flavor of potato to every
>>>mouthful, complementing the clams perfectly.
>>>
>>>SEASONING MIX
>>>
>>>1 1/4 teaspoons white pepper
>>>1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
>>>1 1/4 teaspoons onion powder
>>>1 1/4teaspoons garlic powder
>>>1 1/4 teaspoons dry mustard
>>>1 1/4 teaspoons dried sweet basil leaves
>>>1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
>>>1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
>>>1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
>>>
>>>1/2 pound salt pork, diced (see Note)
>>>2 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
>>>1 cup chopped onions
>>>1 cup chopped green bell peppers
>>>1 cup chopped celery
>>>4 cups clam liquid (can be bottled clam juice), in all
>>>6 tablespoons unsalted butter, in all
>>>4 cups milk
>>>4 cups diced peeled potatoes
>>>2 cups heavy cream
>>>4 dozen shucked hard-shell clams, with their liquid
>>>1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
>>>Salt, optional (see Note)
>>>
>>>Combine the seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes
>>>3 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon.
>>>
>>>Place the salt pork in a large heavy pot (not cast iron) over high
>>>heat, cover, and cook until the pork is sticking hard to the bottom of
>>>the pot, about 8 minutes. Add the grated potatoes, the onions, bell
>>>peppers, celery, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of the seasoning
>>>mix. Scrape the bottom of.the pot well, cover, and cook 3 minutes. Add
>>>3 cups of the clam juice, scrape the pot bottom clean, and cook,
>>>scraping the bottom of the pot often, about 13 minutes. Stir in the
>>>remaining 1 cup clam juice, scrape the crust from the bottom of the
>>>pot, and cook 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter and cook,
>>>scraping the pot bottom occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the
>>>remaining seasoning mix and cook, whisking constantly to break up the
>>>potatoes and release their starch to thicken the chowder, 4 minutes.
>>>Stir in the milk and bring just to the boiling point, then add the
>>>diced potatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and
>>>cook, uncovered, scraping often, until the potatoes are tender, about
>>>20 minutes. Watch the pot closely: If the soup begins to bubble too
>>>much, reduce the heat, so the milk won't curdle. Add the remaining 3
>>>tablespoons butter and the heavy cream and whip with the whisk. Scrape
>>>the bottom of the pot, stir, turn up the heat a bit, and cook just
>>>until the soup begins to bubble gently. Add the clams, cook 1 to 2
>>>minutes, and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and salt, if
>>>necessary. Makes about 16 cups.
>>>
>>>Serve the chowder in deep soup bowls with crusty bread.
>>>
>>>NOTE: Salt pushes the flavors of the other seasonings in this dish.
>>>Because salt pork differs depending on where it's processed, yours may
>>>be saltier or less salty than ours. If it comes thickly encrusted with
>>>salt, rinse some of it off and pat dry before dicing. Taste the chowder
>>>at the end, and, if necessary, add salt cautiously until the flavor is
>>>just right.
>>>
>>>Derek's notes:
>>>
>>>I added 1 teaspoon dried dill weed and 1 teaspoon dried Aleppo red
>>>pepper flakes to seasoning mix. I used bacon instead of salt pork,
>>>sauteeing the onion/celery/bell pepper in some of the bacon fat. I
>>>used grated Russet potato, and diced Yukon Gold potato. I used canned
>>>clams instead of live.
>>>
>>>Derek Juhl
>>>
>
>
> <rj>