Once we made the overnight shift from air conditioning to heat that is a common part of fall in the Low Country, we felt it was time to unearth some cold weather recipes. The clam recipe is from a Frugal Gourmet cookbook and was passed along some time ago by Merry's brother and sister-in-law. It certainly lived up to their rave reviews. We used clams from the local clam farm which helps to eliminate some of the scrubbing usually associated with clams. Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet, notes that this recipe should be served with some good bread. We were fortunate to have some wonderful herb bread on hand that was shipped to us from St. Louis. We went through a lot of it "sopping up" the broth which is almost a meal by itself.
The split pea soup recipe was a speciality of The Magic Pan restaurants that used to be scattered around the country. We don't know if the restaurants are still in existence, but their soup recipe is memorable and we have made it numerous times over the years. The original recipe included shredded chicken if you choose to include it. The final chowder in this column combines ingredients we usually have on hand and thus serves as one of those meals that helps us a avoid a trip to the store--for at least one more day.
Ingredients:
Scrub and rinse the clams in cold water. Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for one hour; drain.
In a 12-quart pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until softened, but not brown. Add the garlic, clam juice and lemon juice. Simmer, covered 3-4 minutes. Add the drained clams, parsley and vermouth. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 2 minutes. Add the cream and black pepper and continue simmering until the clams are fully open. Serve immediately in bowls with plenty of broth and bread for dipping. 2 servings (or 6 appetizer servings).
Ingredients:
Place the ham bone in a large pot (8-12 quarts). Add the water, chicken broth and peas. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the vegetables and seasoning and continue to simmer gently for 30-45 minutes or until the peas are very soft and the mixture is thick. Remove the ham bone. Gradually stir in milk and cream. Add the chopped ham (cut from bone) and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately. Dry sherry should be offered at the table to be added as desired. 6 servings.
Ingredients:
Combine stock and potatoes in a large (6-8 quart) pot. Bring to a boil and keep at a high simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (about 12-15 minutes). Remove from heat. In a skillet, saute chopped bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Drain off all but 2 TBS bacon grease. Add the butter to the bacon grease and saute onions over medium heat until soft. Add the flour and gently whisk until incorporated. Continue stirring flour and onion mixture for 3-5 minutes. Slowly stir in one cup of the liquid from the potatoes. When fully combined, add the onion mixture to the potatoes and carefully stir until incorporated. Add the cream and heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with pepper and serve sprinkled with bacon. 6 servings.
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