PAUL'S CROCK POT CLAM CHOWDER

prep time:: 20 min
total time:: 6 hr , 20 minutes

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Stew over this...Close your eyes...take a taste. This quintessential composition will bring you back to another place and time...especially if you’re from New England. (It reminds me of loooooong weekends on Cape Cod) Satisfaction is guaranteed! This is one sHELL of a chowder!

ingredients

1/4 C (1/2 stick) melted butter
4 cans (6 1/2 oz.) chopped clams, in their juices
1 can cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and finely cubed
2 stalks celery, cleaned,cut in half length-wise and diced
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 Lb smoked bacon, diced into 1/4-inch strips
3 C half and half
1 C heavy cream
1/4 C chicken broth
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (dissolved into 2 tbsp cold water)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper, fresh ground
2 tbsp fresh, chopped basil (to garnish serving bowls)
1 bay leaf

directions

Cook cut up bacon to a medium doneness, but not crisp. Drain off grease & transfer cooked bacon to a large crock pot (at least 4 quarts) Combine clams with their juice, butter, undiluted cream of mushroom soup , potatoes, celery, garlic, onion, half and half, flour/water mix and all seasonings and herbs into crock pot. Set pot to medium or low heat and cook for four hours, stirring frequently. Add heavy cream and continue to cook for additional 2 hours. Remove bay leaf prior to serving. Serve in appropriate bowls garnished with a sprinkling of fresh basil and paprika. Serve with warm, buttered French bread or oyster crackers.