San Francisco Clam Chowder

What makes this San Francisco clam chowder? Really it's New England style, I suppose - fattening and filling enough to steel you against a bracing Massachusetts February (or San Francisco July). For me, it's always been linked to The City, so much so that apparently I made clam chowder the last time the 49ers were in the Super Bowl and completely forgot until I googled it this morning (facepalm).

I did learn something from my only previous foray with the heart attack of the sea - when I was buying ingredients for this on Friday I stayed far away from the fresh clams. Besides, tinned seafood is really having a moment lately (I'm looking at you, anchovies). Why not give cans a chance? (A cance? Is that something?)

I decided to go the way less fussy route this time around, leaving behind the Thomas Keller recipe and cooking from instinct. My go-to stance of "I like cooking to be difficult" is on hiatus, thanks mostly to the incredibly forceful massage pedicure chair at Top Nails this morning which still seem to be whispering "relax" into the knot behind my left shoulder blade as well as my unquenchable and often misguided appetite for over-complication.

This is where I would typically describe the different elements of taste and texture, but that feels a little overkill in this sitch. You know clam chowder? Cool. This is clam chowder. Not too thick. Appropriately clammy. End of story.

Pre-dairy.

My one complaint was that I trusted an untested sourdough brand to accompany it, and while it was likely made of dough it was NOT, dear reader, anywhere in the vicinity of sour. Quelle horreur, I mean honestly. Feeling a combo of shame and buyer's remorse, I teetered on the brink of not bringing it to the party — Adam even suggested I bring it but make a sign to let everyone know I did not bake it and take no responsibility for people's choices of what they put in their mouths. In the end, I decided to make some long buttery, garlicky crouton dippers, and, okay, fine. Great idea (if I do say so); woulda been better with sourdough.

So here we have it: easy peasy, totally creamy and decadent, fairly faultless clam chowder, made with all the best intentions of sending good luck to whoever is on the 49ers these days. And yes, obviously I assume that's still Jerry Rice and Joe Montana.

Going by the reactions of the party guests last night, the results of my laid-back cookery were irrefutably compliment-worthy. What I'm left questioning, though, is whether I managed to develop my very first Souperstition. Two times making clam chowder and two Super Bowl losses? Not to be weird or dramatic or anything but this is definitely all my fault.

Also noteworthy: I almost cared about the outcome of the game last night on a few occasions. Not nearly as much as I cared about the outcome of the soup, but more vocally. Huh.

San Francisco Clam Chowder
serves 6 (or more in a party situation)

Note: Lots and lots of recipes include bacon or pancetta as the first step: chopping up a few slices, crisping it up and then cooking the onions etc. in the bacon fat. If that sounds good, go for it! I've written the below as pescatarian-friendly (although admittedly not health-conscious in the way that title often implies).

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 8 oz. bottle clam juice
3 6.5-oz. cans of chopped clams, strained and juice reserved
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 fresh bay leaf
2 cups half & half
1 cup cream
2 cups peeled and diced russet potatoes (I used 6 small russets)
Worcestershire sauce to taste (optional)
Your favorite hot sauce to taste (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Method

Melt one tablespoon of butter in your soup pot over medium heat; add onions, garlic and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft but not browned. Add remaining two tablespoons of butter. When melted, sprinkle on two tablespoons flour and stir in, cooking the mixture for another minute or two.

Add bottle of clam juice and reserved clam juice from cans and stir, cooking for a few minutes to allow the mixture to thicken to a creamy consistency. Stir in thyme, bay leaf, half & half, cream and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer (not a boil) and cook until potatoes are nice and tender. Taste the soup for consistency. I wanted mine to be a little thicker, so I pulled out about 1/2 cup of potatoes with a little of the broth and mashed them up, then stirred the mixture back in.

Add clams until heated through; it should really only take a minute or two. Add dashes of Worcestershire and hot sauce to taste - I wanted just enough to make you go "hmmmm, what is that?" but not enough to be able to answer the question.

Remove bay leaf and sprinkle with parsley before serving, and do please serve with legitimate sourdough.