christine's clam chowder

The bowl is for show. Tastes great straight from the pot.

Christine is my dear foodie-friend. Everything she makes is fabulous, especially her family. We have shared many meals together, and this is from our annual Christmas potluck, going strong at 20+ years now.

That year, we were a little short on dishes, so we resorted to serving this in styrofoam cups. Tastes even better in a proper bowl.

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1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 potatoes, finely diced
2 6.5 oz cans minced clams, 
  (Keep the liquid)
1 cup water (approximately

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half-and-half
Hawaiian salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

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Pour the liquid from the clams into a large pot or Dutch oven with diced vegetables. Add water and simmer over medium heat until barely tender. 

In the meantime, in a separate pot, melt butter, add flour, stirring constantly. Whisk in half-and-half a little at a time, until smooth and thick.  Add to vegetables. Add clams, salt and pepper and vinegar at the end. The dash of vinegar is what finishes the chowder. Heat thoroughly.

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