Clam Chowder
One of the staples of New England (and Canadian maritimes) cooking is "salt pork." I don't know that salt pork is sold at all in Australia, but it's basically salt-cured pork belly, and I see no reason why you couldn't substitute pork belly for salt pork. They taste the same, minus the salt. In olden times, "salt pork" was the functional equivalent of bacon around here - it was cheap, preserved meat, and it is the basis for a number of regional dishes, including clam chowder.
My family have lived in New England for over 400 years. I know how to make proper chowder, and in just a few minutes, you will too. Do it this way, and you could probably win an award. DO NOT PUT ANY SORT OF SMOKED AMERICAN-STYLE BACON IN YOUR CHOWDER. Americans who live outside of New England do this, and it is wrong. If you put bacon in your chowder, you will have failed, and made smoke-flavored clam-and-potato stew. For all I know, you can't buy smoked bacon in Australia, which is lucky where chowder is concerned, otherwise unlucky. The ingredients in real New England Clam Chowder are no more and no less than those I shall list below. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. There are no leeks, or corn or, corn starch, or wine, or garlic, or olive oil, or (Jesus Christ) "herbes de provence" in chowder. Just what you can grow, or find, or dig-up in New England. Or Australia.
This will make over a gallon, which is a bunch of litres, or enough to fill a large stew pot. You'll need:
- 1 kg of clams, or a pile about the size of a volleyball. Here, we use "littleneck" clams. From my reading, Australian "surf" clams are about the same thing. We'll substitute other types here in New England when we have to... no reason you shouldn't do likewise. Just get clams that you like.
1 slab of salt pork or pork belly, about 500 grams, maybe a little less, diced into 1 cm cubes.
1 half to 3/4 of a large yellow/Spanish onion, minced very fine. If your onions are the size of a cricket ball or smaller, use more than half.
2 large Russet potatoes, diced into 2 cm cubes. We use Russets - use whatever white, fluffy potatoes you'd use to bake or make mashed. I've had potatoes in Australia plenty of times, and ours are the same.
Heavy cream
Flour
Butter
Dried thyme, crushed to powder, about 1 teaspoon
Salt and pepper
optional parsley for garnish
Begin by scrubbing the clams under the faucet with a brush like used for washing dishes. This will clean the scum off of them, and also help you identify any dead ones. They should close when you touch their gooshy parts with the brush. Watch for movement. If any should just lie there with its shell hanging open, discard it outdoors. DO NOT put dead clams in the rubbish under the cupboard to sit for days.
Put the live clams in a large pot, and just cover them with water. Boil them until they open, usually 10 minutes or so. If any fail to open, it's because they were already dead, and now you have carrion broth. I told you to scrub them. I know I was pretty clear about that. Anyway, the water you cooked them in is now your broth, so don't lose it. Remove the clams from the broth with a slotted spoon, and set them aside to cool. There are liable to be bits of shell and sand at the bottom of the pot, so pour all but the last ounce of broth into another container, pitch the part with the shells and sand down the drain, and put the broth back in your pot. Set it aside, off the stove.
Saute the diced pork belly in a frying pan. It will cook in its own fat. Cook until crispy, and dry-looking. Remove the cooked salt pork with your slotted spoon, and add it to your broth, leaving the pork fat in the pan. Now saute the minced onion in the pork fat until soft and translucent. When the onion is done, likewise remove it with your slotted spoon, adding it to the broth, leaving the fat in the pan. Now you're going to make your "roux."
Add flour to the fat until it won't take any more. You're going to want about a cup of flour, so if you don't have enough pork fat, you can add butter. Sometimes I use most of a stick -- the amount of fat you'll get from salt pork is variable. The roux should start out dry and fluffy. As it cooks down, it will liquefy. Cook the flour/fat/butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it turns color. Flour cooked in this way will progress from pale yellow, to deep yellow, to brown. Cook it until it's deep yellow.
Return to your cooled clams. Remove them from their shells, and clean them of skin or membranes or what-have-you, until you have clean clams. Rinse them under the faucet to wash away remaining sand, chop them to 1-to-2 cm bits, and set them aside.
Return your broth to the stove, and bring it to a boil. Stir in the roux gradually until the thickness is as you like -- you won't need it all. Don't worry if it turns out a bit thick because you'll thin it with cream later.
Add the diced potatoes to your broth, along with the thyme, salt, and pepper. Everything but the chopped clams is now in the pot. Cook until the potatoes are just cooked. You want them the slightest bit "al dente" because you'll be reheating the chowder each time you serve it. It's a bit of a tough call, but don't over-cook the potatoes. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning as needed.
Once the potatoes are just cooked, stir in your chopped clams, and remove the pot from the heat. It's important to add the clams at the very last. You already cooked them, and cooking them too long makes them chewy and tough. You're going to risk that as it is, each time you reheat it to serve.
To serve, heat the chowder in a pan until it's just simmering, and stir in some cream. Use just enough to turn it white. Don't add cream to the entire pot of chowder - add it only to the portion you're about to serve, otherwise it will tend to separate from the rest of the broth in the refrigerator.
It's easier to make than the above might make it seem - boil, clean, and dice your clams, reserving the broth. Dice & saute your pork, saute onion in pork fat, add pork and onion to the broth along with seasoning, cook your flour in pork fat/butter, and add it to broth to thicken it, then add potatoes and simmer till "al dente," then add clams and remove from heat. Reheat and stir in cream to serve. It should look like this:
That's how old time Yankees do it. Next up will be Chicken a` la Salt Pork, like mum used to make.