Rita Rudner – “Halloween was confusing. All my life my parents said, ‘Never take candy from strangers.’ And then they dressed me up and said, ‘Go beg for it.’ “

I originally posted this for a quick Halloween dinner one year, but tonight’s weather makes me wish a quick chowder and this is perfect for me. So basic and so easy serve with garlic rubbed slices of toasted French or Italian bread. One or two slight changes, a splash of Cognac when the onions have finished cooking and allowing for a brief simmer to burn off the alcohol and I used Guanciale instead of pancetta.
Yep, here comes the cooler/cold weather just in time for trick-or-treaters and we always make a warming bowl of cozy something or other so we can answer the door and adore the little and sometimes big ones in all their Halloween costumes. This year a thoughtful Mike brought home fresh clams for me…he won’t eat them so I’ll have a nice pot of chili for him while I slurp down a bowl of fresh NC-style chowder with my little additions. This version is certainly not a local version, but close enough for me as I prefer it over a NE-style thick chowder, says this lady from MA,😂!

• 1/2 tablespoon bacon drippings or 4 ounces of pancetta crisped and pancetta drippings reserved.
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, I like to add a bit of diced celery 1-2 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 cups bottled clam juice
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can chopped clams
• 2 cups potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch
  2 dozen small clams in the shell, (such as littlenecks), scrubbed
• (optional) Milk, half-and-half, light cream, or heavy cream, to taste (optional)
• salt or to taste, not too much about 1/2 teaspoon…taste before serving, and if you like more, add to taste
• (optional) serve with Crostini for each bowl (optional) I rub garlic over each toasted crostini or have oyster crackers instead
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish
  *optional sprinkle of Kinders Jalapeno Garlic seasoning
• Most of the time I steam the clams until they just open, reserve and strain clam juice from steamed clam pan, and then pour the strained clam juices to the simmering pot of soup. Ad a few clams to each bow and pour hot soup over the clams.

1. If using bacon drippings, heat them in a cast-iron Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. If using pancetta or bacon, cook it in a cast-iron Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the pancetta or bacon and reserve the rendered fat in the pot. (You should have about 1/2 tablespoon drippings. A little more or a little less is fine.)
2. Add the onion and celery to the Dutch oven or skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Don’t let the onions take on any color. Pour in the clam juice and water, then add the pepper and bring to a boil. Add the chopped clams (if using canned clams, add the liquid from the can to the chowder), reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer, uncovered, until the chowder clams are tender about 1 hour.
3. Add the potatoes, increase the heat to medium, and simmer until the potatoes are just barely fork-tender about 10 minutes.
4. Leite’s version…Add the clams in the shell, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes more, or until the potatoes are tender throughout and the shells have opened. Remove and discard any shells that remain closed. ( Optional) add anywhere from a splash to 2 cups milk, half-and-half, or cream, and let the chowder cook for a couple minutes more to warm through. Taste and, if necessary, season with salt. If you like, place a slice of bread in each bowl, then ladle in the chowder, adding a few shell clams into each bowl. Garnish with parsley.