Potato Leek Clam Chowder

I've been craving clam chowder and bought a can of clams and some clam juice, but it's been sitting in my pantry--waiting--until now. I made Spaghetti with Clams, Leeks and Garlic Chives for a birthday party the other day, so with a bundle of clams leftover from the party and the canned ones in the pantry comes a perfect time to make some clam chowder!

You don't have to use fresh clams, in fact, I kind of prefer the canned ones--not the baby clams, but the chopped ocean clams. I bought the canned clams at Smart & Final.

I made the chowder with the canned clams, cooked the fresh steamers separately and added them to the top of each bowl.

I bought the fresh clams at Costco. It was the first time the clams I got there were a little gritty--up until this time they were cleaned and didn't have sand in them. To clean the clams so they don't have sand inside them, put them in a bowl of 4 cups water with 2 tablespoons sea salt dissolved in it (the water line should be so the clams are covered with water halfway up their shell), in the refrigerator for several hours. The clams will siphon the water in but then spit it out along with the sand in their stomachs. Soak them in freshwater for about an hour before serving so they're not too salty.

 I didn't take photos of the ingredients this time, but these are from the Spaghetti with Clams, Leeks and Garlic Chives recipe.

 Wash the leeks and chives well and slice thinly. The rest of the cooking instructions are in the recipe below.

Looking at the photos I took the last time I bought clams from Costco,  the clams in the picture above are farmed Manila clams. The ones I used this time are not the same variety, they're white shelled, where the Manila clams are brown. I didn't notice what variety the ones I bought this time were (reinforces the fact that I should have taken photos!) or if they were wild (which would explain the sand).

Potato Leek Clam Chowder

This recipe makes a 7 quart pot of soup, which will serve about 10-12, so you may want to cut down the quantities.

Ingredients:

1-51 oz. can Chopped Ocean Clams

1-51 oz. can Clam Juice

2 leeks, cleaned thoroughly and sliced thinly

1/2 cup garlic chives, sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 cups celery (be sure to include the leaves) chopped

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

4-6 medium sized potatoes, diced 

2 cup chopped carrots

about 4 cups half-and-half or milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup flour

thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

generous pinch chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste

optional: 4 - 5 pounds of fresh clams

If using fresh clams, clean by soaking them in salty water for several hours so the clams spit out sand, then soak for an hour in fresh water. Drain and set aside.

In a large 7 quart pot, saute chopped leeks, garlic chives, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until soft and wilted, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour on vegetables and mix well, with the flour absorbing any fats and liquid in the pot. Add the can of clam juice and juice from the canned clams, mixing well until evenly incorporated. Add water if necessary to make the vegetables/broth ratio how you like it--I added about 5-6 cups water and spices.

Simmer about 30 minutes on medium/low heat until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the canned clam pieces and the half-and-half or milk. Taste and adjust seasonings. To make the soup thicker,  mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Stirring constantly, add, a the cornstarch, a little at a time, to hot soup (just under boiling) until desired thickness. Reduce heat and hold until ready to serve.

To steam fresh clams, boil about a 1/2 inch of water in a large frying pan, place clams in the pan, put the lid on and steam for about 5 minutes or until clams are open. 

Ladle hot soup into bowl and place steamed clams on top.

Itadakimasu!

***

I've been doing some knitting.

This little afghan is so simple to make, it only uses one stitch, garter stitch. You can use your leftover yarn or any collection of colors you like. I collected these colors for a little girl I have in mind and I wanted the blanket to look like a spring garden.

I'm using a 10.5 US gauge knitting needle, but I think it could stand to be a bit bigger since the afghan is a little on the thicker/heavy side, so a 13 or 15 might be better and make the blanket more airy. 

I cast on 100 stitches in the green, knit 6 rows to make an end border, change to a different yarn and knit 2 rows, change back to green and knit 3 rows. I'm using an odd number of rows between yarn changes so either side can be the right side. Repeat until you've reached desired length and knit 6 rows of green for an ending border. To finish, I'm going to make a fringe on the ends with matching yarns.

Camping Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Bacon

Sometimes I don't know what to cook, I'm wracked with indecision over the simplest thing--

What to make for dinner?

When you're camping, you'd think it would be easy--just make what you brought and have planned.

But what I have planned doesn't always suit me at the time.


I have issues, I know.

We had a few slices of bacon left from the 3 lbs. we brought along.

I got to talking with Mitchell about what to make with the bacon.

Mitchell loves bacon.

He said that maybe we could fry it up, then crumble it onto some mashed potatoes.

That sounded so good!

Only problem was--I didn't bring a potato masher.

In comes Keith to the rescue!

Keith said he had just made some mashed potatoes at home using a slotted spoon, and that's what he and Karen did.

They made mashed potatoes with a slotted spoon and slotted spatula.

When you're camping, you have to improvise!

It was so much fun watching the two of them mashing the boiled red potatoes with the improvised utensils, adding butter and milk, salt and pepper.

They also added the leftover roasted garlic cloves from the night before--which Rick and Jessica removed from their husks and painstakingly trimmed all the burned parts off.

When it was done, they tasted the finished product and adjusted the seasonings.

Mitchell fried up the remaining slices of peppered bacon and crumbled them.

These were some of the best mashed potatoes I've had--they had really nice texture, with a bit of chunkiness, but still creamy--and topped with just a sprinkling of bacon bits for a blast of flavor and saltiness.

I wish I would have gotten photos of everyone helping put this together--that's what makes it all so much fun for me--everyone helps.

I think that's what makes the meals taste so good!

The night before, we used one of the steaks to make bacon wrapped camping kebobs, and cut the remaining rib eyes into thirds, which was plenty for everyone.

Robert barbecued them over the campfire perfectly.

We made a quick citrus marinade with lemons and limes I brought along with sliced onions and cilantro.

I added some Tapatio hot sauce and Keith added some shoyu.

Connie sliced the chicken breasts and thighs into strips, which made the grilling fast and easy.

The result was delicious!

Connie, Keith & Emily roasted the squash perfectly.

Robert roasted the peppers and Rick & Jezzie peeled and sliced them.

Yum!

There was especially a lot of fervor around the food table that night.

Beeto doesn't eat much, but she said she ate two platefuls that night.

Robert and Connie are always the last in line.

Thanks for suggesting the mashed potatoes, Mitchell, they were delicious!

Thanks, Keith, for working hard to make them!

Karen and Connie, too!

The kids went on a hike around the lake and up to a patch of snow.

Is that the patch of snow you walked to?

It looks far!

Jessica took her camera and got some nice shots on the hike.

Thanks, Jessica, for sharing your photos!

Time to pack up and go home!

Thanks, everyone, for such a fun trip!

No printable recipe.

Big Sur Camping Hash Browns

Over the weekend we went camping at Big Sur on the Central California Coast.

Karen and Mitchell got us the reservations as a Christmas gift, and my niece joined us too.

My son-in-law loves breakfast foods, so each day we had a hearty breakfast.

Hash browns are easy to make, even when you're camping.

Hash browns are one of Mitchell's favorites.

I generally figure one medium-sized potato per person, and if there's big eaters present, which there usually is, then I add a couple more.

Start by grating the potatoes on the large part of the grater.

Be careful if your grater is broken like mine.

After the potatoes are grated, rinse them in cold water.

That removes the starchy-gumminess.

If I'm at home, I will cover them in water and add a few ice cubes after they're rinsed.

When you're ready to cook them, drain all the water and squeeze the potatoes to remove most of the water.

That will make them crispy.

Add about 3 tablespoons of oil when the pan is hot, then add the grated potatoes to make pancake-like piles.

Or make one big hash brown--I do that a lot too.

Tilt the pan so that the oil has a chance to surround each pile of grated potatoes.

 Cook over medium-high heat until the edges turn brown, then lift with your spatula to check the bottoms. When they're brown, flip them over.

Season with salt and pepper.

They're done when the bottoms are crisp.

Mitchell cooked the bacon.

Karen cooked the eggs.

I must not have been thinking, because I didn't get a picture of our breakfast plates!

Gochisousamadeshita!

(Thank you for the good meal!)

***

Karen & Mitchell gave us a two-night stay at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park for Christmas last year, along with setting up this blog.

They are very creative in their gifts, aren't they!

We bought this camping stove from Costco last year.

I really like it--it attaches to a propane tank, no more burning through all those little propane bottles with a Coleman camp stove.

Mitchell is setting up camp.

When he made the reservation, he picked us a great spot--pretty, shady, secluded, near the water spigot and bathrooms.

Dixie gets her own green carpet to lay on--otherwise she'd get so dirty!

This is Beeto.

That's the nickname she got from us when she was little.

Her friends at school call her Hayley.

At home she's called Emi--short for Emiko.

If you haven't been following along, there's a little more about her here.

I found this pic on my camera when I got home.

She likes to take self-portraits.

There were several of them.

She's a LOT of fun!

Beeto's parents kindly let us borrow their tent trailer.

It's super comfy.

Thanks, Nancy and Bill!

We're trying to find a footbridge.

Instead, we find a pretty painted dumpster with "Karen" painted on it!

It reminds me of another time we saw "Karen" painted--when she was little.

Mitchell has a technique to making delicious s'mores.

He heats the graham cracker and the chocolate--as well as the marshmallow.

Inside the trailer, we played Wits and Wagers.

It was fun with lots of laughter.

Thank you for such a fun-filled weekend!

***

You don't have to be camping to make good hash browns, you can make them at home!

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Oil for frying

I generally figure one medium-sized potato per person, and if there's big eaters present, which there usually is, then I add a couple more.

Grate the potatoes on the large part of the grater. Put the grated potatoes in a bowl or colander and rinse them to remove the starchy-gumminess. Immerse the rinsed potatoes in water and add a few ice cubes while you heat the oil.

Heat about 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, the amount depending upon how many hash browns you're making. You don't want them swimming in oil, but you want enough oil for them to fry and turn brown.

When you're ready to cook the potatoes, drain all the water and squeeze the potatoes to remove most of the water. That will make them crispy.

Add the grated potatoes to make pancake-like piles. Cook over medium-high heat until the edges turn brown, then lift with your spatula to check the bottoms. When they're brown, flip them over.

Season with salt and pepper.

They're done when the bottoms are crisp.

Creamy, Cheesy Potato Leek Casserole

Where do you get your cooking inspiration?

For me, it doesn't take much.

I get inspired by suggestions.

Or a photo.

The other day, while talking to my friend Gwenn, we talked about Potato Leek Soup. She often reminds me of an image she has--me with my red wagon, delivering a big pot of potato leek soup to her in the rain when her house in Hacienda Heights flooded.

She still makes that soup, it's one of her kids' favorites.

Then I saw a photo of Nami's Potato-Leek Gratin at Just One Cookbook.com, and the talk of potato leek soup, I just had to search through the fridge to see what I had on hand to make something like it.

I found some potatoes and leeks that I had on-hand, along with an assortment of other ingredients to put together this casserole.

This is the one that went to my sister-in-law with the newborn.

This is the one we ate at home.

It's got mushrooms, celery, carrots & onions, in a creamy, rich sauce.

Here's what I used:

Potatoes, leeks, onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms

Cream, sour cream, parmesan and mozzarella cheese

(Recipe at the bottom of the page.)

Wash the leeks thoroughly, they've got sand in between the leaves.

Cut off the ends--root and top, then cut them in half, separating the green tops and white bottoms.

Slide the halves in half again vertically and wash in between the leaves, making sure there's no dirt or sand present.

Then slice the leeks up.

I always use the tops too.

Roughly chop the garlic.

Grate one carrot.

There's two in the picture, but I decided later that one was enough.

Chop 1/2 a large onion.

I used a tablespoon of butter and about a tablespoon of olive oil.

If you want to make the casserole less rich, just use olive oil and skip the butter.

Saute the vegetables and garlic over medium heat.

Clean and slice the mushrooms.

And add them to the vegetable mixture.

Cook until the vegetables are wilted and turn off heat.

I found 4 oz. of cream cheese in the fridge and decided to add it.

Even with making two casseroles, the sauce was pretty rich.

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds and stir.

I had 1/2 cup sour cream and added that too.

Rich and richer.

THEN, I added a 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream I had leftover.

Rich, richer and richest!

Add the creamy mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine.

Set aside.

Wash the potatoes and remove any spots that you don't think should be there.

Slice them and put them into cold water until you're ready to use them, to keep them from turning brown.

Drain when you're ready to put the casserole together.

Spray the dish with a non-stick spray before you begin to layer the potatoes and sauce.

Salt and pepper each layer on top of the sauce.

Top with a little parmesan cheese,

Then a little mozzarella--because that's what I had on-hand.

Then top with a little sprinkle of dried oregano.

Put the covered casserole into a 400 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and hot.

When it's hot, and the potatoes are done--you can tell by piercing them with a fork, which should go through the potatoes easily--uncover the casseroles and turn on the broiler to brown the top a little.

I did the browning of each casserole individually on the top oven rack.

I forgot to sprinkle a little panko breadcrumbs on top, so it's not exactly au gratin.

We ate this as a main dish casserole, and paired with a nice, fresh green salad, it makes a perfect meal for me.

Itadakimasu!

***

We just got the dates when our friend Keith (he was introduced here) will be here from New York City (where he is attending school), so we're planning our annual trip to Mammoth Lakes.

One of our most memorable trips was a few years ago on Memorial Day Weekend.

In the snow.

This is Convict Lake where we like to camp.

We like to sit around the campfire.

It's so much fun simply to be together.

I like it because they let me cook to my heart's desire.

We do some fishing, Keith always catches something.

Connie and Robert make Connie's fabulous foil baked steamed trout.

The ginger, green onions and cilantro make the trout delicious.

Colin was a novice at fishing.

He didn't catch anything that trip, but didn't ever give up.

He had a lot of fun around the campfire.

Rick's fun.

All the kids are.

Colin liked to play with the fire.

I guess the old Japanese wives' tale that "you'll shi-shi your bed if you play with fire..." isn't true...but we did all get wet--from the snow.

This is Beeto with Keith's umbrella.

That umbrella saved us, it made countless trips--shielding us from the snow--down to the bathrooms and back to camp.

Keith was almost not going to bring it, too.

We still got our shoes soaking wet--we were really unprepared for snow-- and had to make a trip to the laundromat to dry our shoes.

We ate in town that night at Perry's Pizza. 

At that time, Perry's had a spaghetti eating contest--that they've since discontinued--but that was a lot of fun.

This trip was one of Connie's first with us, and we found out what a trooper she is.

Their tent filled with water from the snow!

I would have wanted to go to a hotel, but Connie's a trooper, and stuck it out--soggy tent, snow, freezing cold and all.

It all made for a memorable trip.

The next day, everyone had to drive back to LA for work, but we stayed a bit longer.

The weather cleared up, the sun came out--perfect!

***

Creamy, Cheesy, Potato Leek Casserole

The amounts here will make 2 casseroles.

Ingredients:

9 medium-sized potatoes, sliced
2 leeks, chopped
1 grated carrot
2 cups chopped celery
4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon each, butter & oil

Sauce:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
                                     1/2 cup sour cream
                                    1/2 cup whipping cream

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or jack cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Thoroughly wash leeks, and chop all vegetables. Saute vegetables in 1 tablespoon each, olive oil and butter, until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Slice potatoes and put into a bowl with cold water until ready to use.

Soften cream cheese for about 20 seconds in the microwave and stir in sour cream and cream. Mix into vegetable mixture thoroughly.

Spray non-stick cooking spray onto casserole dish and layer potatoes, vegetable/sauce mixture and cheese, ending with cheese. Sprinkle dried oregano on top.

Bake, covered, for 40-50 minutes, until hot and bubbly and potatoes are tender when pierced with fork. Finish by placing the casserole under the broiler to brown the top.