Nothing compares to jumping on the Martha’s Vineyard ferry and grabbing a cup of fresh quahog (clam) chowder and a beer! It can be 85degrees and humid and I’ll still get a pipping hot clam chowder for the 45min ride to the rock. A really well done, thick and creamy New England style clam chowder is hard to come by- especially living in Utah… While I would much rather use FRESH clams for the recipe, these chopped clams did the trick. If you can get your hands on fresh clams (usually wholefoods or specialty seafood stores has them still in the shell) use those or if you are smart like my mother is, she cooks fresh clams in the summer and freezes them in batches for later. If you’re from New England you know what the Black Dog is, this is their famous chowder recipe and it comes out just as tasty at home as it does in their dining room. This view from my aunt’s porch and a glass of wine = a PVD (Perfect Vineyard Day)… You can see how easy it is to love this place, awesome views, great food and even better friends! From my pretend MV kitchen to yours…Enjoy!

B.D. Quahog Chowder – Serves 8-10                                                                                       Ingredients:

• 2 ounces salt pork, rind removed
• 2 cups diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 3 cups diced potatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups shelled quahogs with juice (6-7 cans of chopped clams in their juices)
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 quarts light cream

Dice the salt pork and sauté in a large pot until translucent. Add diced onions and celery and sauté for 5 minutes.

Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of the juice from the clams and add the potatoes and seasonings. Simmer this mixture until the potatoes are tender. This should take about 10 minutes.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. When it is bubbling, add the flour and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. This is called a roux. Roughly chop the quahogs reserving any liquid.

Put the light cream in another saucepan and set aside. When potatoes are tender, add the quahogs to the large pot and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the roux and continue simmering for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. This is your chowder base, it will be very thick.

Working with the light cream again, scald the cream by heating it until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Do not boil.

Stir the hot scalded cream into the chowder base, mix together, and remove from heat. At The Black Dog, they serve it topped with a dollop of butter (I left that part out) and oyster crackers in a coffee mug. Recipe from The Black Dog Cook Book.

Black Dog Quahog Chowder (Click for printer friendly version)