When the request for a Norwegian-style clam chowder hit print recently, Forum cooks once again rushed to the rescue, digging up both recipes and memories.
Mountlake Terrace cook Betty R. Jepson, for instance, writes, “In response to your Lake Stevens reader, Elaine V. Herzog, who inquired about a clam chowder recipe her mother and aunt used to make, I am sending you my favorite clam chowder recipe, one my own mother used to make when I was growing up on South Whidbey.
“We used freshly dug butter clams then, but now I use canned minced clams, and half-and-half instead of milk.
“Other than these variations, I think my recipe comes close to the one Elaine described. Our family loves this clam chowder, and I hope Elaine will enjoy it, as well.”
Winding up, Jepson adds, “I read your column regularly in The Herald, and have kept and used many of your readers’ recipes. I can’t say this is Norwegian clam chowder, but I hope Elaine will try it, and it might just bring back some fond memories of her own mother and aunt.”
And Ed Cannon of Mountlake Terrace tells us, “I am a Swede from Ballard and have had fish and other seafood forever because my grandfather was in the fishing industry. This recipe for razor clam chowder is from a cookbook I have, ‘Favorite Recipes of the Great Northwest.’ I have not tried it, but I sure will.”
12ounces lean bacon, cut in 1/4-inch-wide pieces
1/2cup finely minced celery
1/2cup finely chopped onion
6cups finely diced potatoes
Water
Salt and pepper
2teaspoons dried parsley
4cans minced clams, drained
1quart half-and-half
3teaspoons butter
In skillet, fry bacon pieces until partly done, then add celery and onion and cook, stirring, until tender. Drain and place on paper towels. In large soup kettle, cook the finely diced potatoes in water, adding some salt and pepper to the water, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain when potatoes are soft. Add the bacon, celery and onion mixture to the cooked potatoes, then the parsley and clams. Stir in half-and-half and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until hot. Top with the teaspoons of butter and ladle into bowls. Yum!
4slices lean bacon, finely diced
1pint minced clams, undrained
1large onion, finely chopped
4medium potatoes, diced
Water
1quart milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Fry bacon pieces until golden brown; remove from drippings and add to clams. Brown onion in drippings, then add to bacon and clams. Combine onion-bacon-clam mixture with potatoes in suitable pan; add water to cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add milk and season with salt and pepper; heat well and serve.
Makes six servings.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
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