Serve a bowl of Manhattan Style Clam Chowder, a tomato-based clam chowder recipe made bacon, potatoes, veggies and canned or fresh clams.
Ingredients
6slicesbacon, cooked and crumbled
1 ½Tbspolive oil
1largeSpanish onion, chopped
2celery stalks, chopped
2carrots, finely chopped
4-6clovesgarlic, minced
pinchcrushed red pepper
¼cuptomato paste
3sprigs fresh thyme
4sprigs parsley
1bay leaf
2large red potatoes, diced
5cupsclam juice, 8-ounce bottles clam juice
128 ouncecan whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped (do not drain)
46.5 ouncecans minced clams, do not drain
1Tbspkosher salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
2Tbspchopped parsley for garnish
SERVE CHOWDER WITH THESE TOPPINGS OR SIDES:
Chowder in a bread bowl
Rolls or thick sliced of crunchy bread
Oyster crackers
Side salad
Corn on the cob
French fries
Corn bread
Crispy bacon on top
Creme fraiche or sour cream on top
Cornmeal pancakes
Potato Cheese Bread
Instructions
Cook the bacon and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat (or use the bacon grease). Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another minute.
Make a bundle of the fresh thyme, parsley sprigs, and bay leaf together and tie with a piece of kitchen twine; add to the pan with the diced potatoes. Add in the cooked, crumbled bacon.
Pour in the clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and clams (do not drain the juice). Cover and bring to a simmer and season with pepper to taste. Remove the herb bundle and serve immediately with your favorite toppings or sides.