New England Clam Chowder

This past summer we were at Boston's July 4th HarborFest. The whole family had the opportunity to go to ChowdahFest 2009. The winner was Ned Devine's Irish Pub. I found out the whole family liked Clam Chowder so even though this is not Ned's recipe, I found a lighter version at Cooking Light, November 2007.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups chowder and 1 1/2 teaspoons bacon)
Ingredients

4 (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
4 bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups cubed red potato
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Drain clams through a colander into a bowl, reserving liquid and clams. Combine clam liquid and clam juice.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add clam juice mixture, potato, and next 4 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth; add to pan. Stir in clams and half-and-half. Cook 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve with bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 194 (25% from fat)
Fat: 5.4g (sat 2.7g, mono 1.9g, poly 0.4g)
Protein: 12.3g
Carbohydrate: 23.7g
Fiber: 1.4g
Cholesterol: 32mg
Iron: 2.2mg
Sodium: 639mg
Calcium: 111mg