Food truck veteran BJ Lofback from Pinchey’s Lobster Co made New England Clam Chowder and talked about the 2022 Our Kids Soup Sunday event. Pinchey’s Lobster Co is located at the Factory in Franklin. Follow @pinchyslobsterco on Instagram and Facebook. Soup Sunday is February 20 from 11am-2pm at Nissan Stadium Club Level West. The event features dozens of Nashville restaurants preparing their best soups for 1,000 patrons and vying for three coveted awards. In addition, there will be celebrity and chef judges, balloon artists, face painters, magicians, caricaturists and more. In its 25+ years, the event has raised roughly $1.5 million for Our Kids, with all proceeds supporting the organization's mission to provide medical evaluations and crisis counseling for children and families struggling with child sexual abuse. For more information, go to https://ourkidscenter.com/get-involved/events/soup-sunday/.
NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion, about 1 small onion
4 stalks celery, or leeks finely chopped (about 1 cup)
Pinch of salt
1/ 2 cup all-purpose flour
8 oz white wine (we like Chardonnay)
8 oz can or bottled clam juice
1 quart whole milk
1 large can clams (put in the amount you like)
1 1/2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (cooked separately)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hot sauce, optional
1 cup heavy cream
4 slabs bacon (cooked separately) optional
Fresh dill, optional
Oyster crackers, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Heat butter and olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven.
Add onions and cook about 4-5 mins, just until they begin to get translucent. Add celery and continue to cook. Add pinch of salt. Once vegetables begins to soften (don’t cook too fast you still want them to have some texture) then stir in flour to start a roux.
Continue to cook flour until it just starts smelling toasty but don’t add any color. Neither the vegetables nor the flour should take on any color from cooking. Once the flour is cooked in add the wine. Keep stirring as you cook out the alcohol flavor and just start to reduce the wine.
Add clam juice and bring to a good heat, just about 2-3 mins. Add the milk and bring up to a good heat almost to a boil continuing to stir. The liquid will begin to thicken. When you just come to a boil you will reach the maximum thickening of the flour you added. You can add more roux (made on the side) if you like it thicker or add more liquid if you like it thinner. Add heavy cream.
Add clams and cooked potatoes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add hot sauce here if you like spice or serve it on the side later. Don’t let your seasoning take over too much, you really want the clams to shine here.
Serve hot or cool quickly in refrigerator. We always like this best on the second or third day. Garnish bowls with cooked bacon and/or fresh dill. Oyster crackers or a nice crusty bread are great too. Old Bay is a nice add on top as well.
