Thu, Oct-25-07, 12:57
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Senior Member
Posts: 804
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Plan: Atkins 92
Stats: 260/200/175
BF:Size 20/12/10
Progress: 71%
Location: NYC
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Creamy New England style clam chowder
This is a great recipe for those who prefer their chowder to be ALL about the clams! I don't care for chunks of vegetables in my chowder - I just want that rich creamy soup and lots of tender clams. So, here's how I do it!
1 head cauliflower
2 cloves garlic
8 oz. bacon (or more, if you like)
1 small onion, minced (can sub onion powder)
1/2 c. white wine (can use water with a little lemon or white wine vinegar)
2 oz. cream cheese (or more, if you like)
1 or 2 c. half and half or heavy cream
6-8 cans of chopped clams, juice reserved
chopped scallions for garnish (optional)
Cut up cauliflower into small florets and boil in a medium pot with garlic until VERY soft (20 mins or more). Meanwhile, cook bacon to desired doneness and set aside. Add onion to drippings and saute until soft (you can also add a stalk of chopped celery or some chopped fennel at this point if you want the flavor). Deglaze pan with wine/vinegar. Drain cauliflower and return to pot, add cream cheese, onions and pan drippings. Puree with an emersion blender until completely smooth (if you don't have an emersion blender, put everything in a regular blender or food processor and blend, then return to pot). You should have a fairly thick puree. Add the clams, then add reserved juice and cream until your soup reaches the desired consistency. If you like, you can use water, vegetable stock or chicken stock instead of clam juice. Bring to a simmer, allow the clams to heat through and season with salt and pepper (taste it first, clam juice can be very salty). Serve topped with crumbled bacon and chopped scallions (if using).
I'm not entirely sure of the carb count of this, but I think it's around 40 grams net for the entire recipe if you use a large head of cauliflower. I would probably increase the amount of clams if I had a particularly large cauliflower - and it would probably make 6 big servings. I usually count it as 8-10 grams of net carbohydrate, depending on how big my bowl is. It's very rich and filling! Enjoy!
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