| 1 | This chowder has two twists: bacon is added in addition to salt pork and fried julienned leeks are used as a garnish. |
| 2 | The recipe comes from ris lacoste, chef at 21 federal st. |
| 3 | In washington. |
| 4 | scrub the quahogs and place them in a large, covered pot with the wine. |
| 5 | Steam them for 10 to 15 minutes or until the shells just open. |
| 6 | Shuck the quahogs and grind with a meat grinder or food processor. |
| 7 | Strain the cooking liquid through damp cheesecloth - you should have 2 quarts. |
| 8 | If you don"y, add fish stock, clam broth or water to make up the difference. |
| 9 | Reserve the ground clams and the liquid separately. |
| 10 | finely chop three of the leeks. |
| 11 | Cut the remaining three leeks into fine julienne and reserve them for the garnish. |
| 12 | Finely chop the onion and celery. |
| 13 | Finely dice the salt pork and bacon. |
| 14 | Fry the salt pork and bacon in a large pot over medium heat to render the fat. |
| 15 | Remove the cracklings with a slotted spoon. |
| 16 | Discard all but 6 tablespoons of the fat. |
| 17 | add the chopped leeks, onion and celery to the pot and gently cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. |
| 18 | Stir in the flour and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. |
| 19 | Whisk in the reserved liquid and bouquet garni and gradually bring to a boil. |
| 20 | Add the potatoes and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. |
| 21 | Stir in the cream, ground quahogs, cracklings, and salt,pepper and cayenne to taste. |
| 22 | just before serving, heat the oil to 375°F. |
| 23 | Fry the julienned leeks for 1 minute until crisp. |
| 24 | Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. |
| 25 | To serve, ladle the chowder into bowls. |
| 26 | Place a pat of butter in each bowl and garnish with the fried leeks. |
| 27 | makes 12 servings. |
| 28 | [steven raichlin; the baltimore sun; sept 22, 1991] |
