Clam & Corn Chowder

Happy St. Joseph's Day! If you want to fix an appropriate dish in celebration, you can check out my friend Marilyn's family recipe for Pasta Con Sarde. It's got an interesting fennel and garlic taste, and though my family of finicky fennel eaters didn't like the recipe, I will be making it again for me someday soon!

What the Crispettes and their dad do enjoy is a nice bowl of hot soup on a blustery Spring day and this Clam and Corn Chowder is a recipe that is a snap to put together and one that everyone enjoys.



Our version is adapted from Jeff Smith's cookbook "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine", though there is oddly no wine in this recipe. The original recipe calls for canned cream corn, which heads my list of gastronabominations, so avoid that and go with frozen corn or if you must, drained canned corn kernels.

Clam and Corn Chowder

1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp. butter
1 (or two!) 6-1/2 oz. can minced clams, drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cups milk
1 tsp. dried or frozen snipped dill
Optional: Handful of dried cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in soup pot. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients and bring to simmer. The optional tomatoes will soften a bit and they sure add a nice bit of color to the soup pot. Simmer 5-10 minutes and serve hot.

Serves 4.

I'm sending a bowl of this easy and satisfying soup over to my Cook the Books buddy Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen for her weekly Souper Sunday roundup. Check back with Deb later on Sunday to see what is bubbling in everyone else's soup pot.