Clam Soup with Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

I had a craving for soup today around lunchtime, yet I only had about an hour before I needed to go pickup my stepson.  Hmm...what can I make that's tasty in a hurry?  The only can I generally open up around here is of worms or "whoop-ass" (bahahaha!  juuuuust kidding), so I checked around the pantry a little further and noticed I had a forgotten can of minced clams.  Ooo the possibilities! 

I probably bought this at some point JUST so I could make this soup in the future!

If you're a clam chowder fan (as I absolutely am), you'll love this clam soup.  It's not thick like a chowder, but it packs a flavor punch and is quick to make.  Sidenote: if you can get fresh clams, you can/should absolutely use them! 

Commence the soup assembly!  As I may have mentioned in the past, anything with onions, especially the caramelized variety, is going to be delicious.  We'll need a large, deep skillet heated over medium high heat containing a tbsp. of olive oil and a tbsp. of butter.  Add in a large/jumbo Vidalia onion, cut into thin layers...kinda like this:

Sprinkle the onions with a tsp. of sugar to help speed up the caramelization process.  Now, chop up about 6 red or yellow potatoes into chunks and place them in a pot of cold, salted water.  We'll boil them until tender while our onions caramelize (about 25 minutes or so).

Not too big, not too small, juuuust right

Once the potatoes are tender, drain them and set aside for a moment.  The onions should be caramelizing nicely at this point. 

Resist the urge to just eat them as is.

Add 3 minced garlic cloves and sauté for another couple of minutes.  Next, we'll need to add about 3 cups of clam broth to them in the skillet.  If you have homemade clam broth just lying around, I seriously salute you and would like an invitation to your house for dinner sometime.  If you're like most of us, this isn't exactly a pantry staple item.  However, I find that a super simple way to make quality, great-tasting broths is by using Better than Bouillon:

I do not get paid by this company.  I just really love them!

I use their chicken and beef varieties often to make quick broths, and this clam one is just as awesome.  Adding 3 tsp. of it to 3 cups of hot water and stirring quickly makes the broth that I need for this recipe.  You can also find bottled clam broth at your local grocery store.  I tend to find that they place it within the adult drink mixers section near things like margarita mix.  Happy hunting!

Add the 3 cups of clam broth to the caramelized onions and stir.  Add in your cooked potatoes and stir again (notice a trend here?)  Add in your minced clams (or 24 whole clams, if you're fancy!) and stir once more.

Almost eating time!

 

Bring this lovely concoction to a simmer.  To give it just a little more oomph, we'll slowly and carefully (stirring the whole time) add a cup of heavy cream to our soup.  Keep stirring for about a minute so the cream doesn't curdle.  Salt and pepper your creation to taste and sprinkle on about a tsp. of tarragon as garnish and a last little flavor booster.

 



Now, isn't that nice?

 

If I had used fresh clams, I'd continue to keep the soup at a simmer until all the clams had opened up.  Since I had minced clams, we're ready to eat already!  Yippee!!

 

I ate two bowlfuls of this soup that's supposed to serve 4, leaving only about 2 more bowlfuls leftover.  What can I say, I love my soups!  I think you will enjoy this one as well.

 

Try it.  You'll like it.

 

-Sam

 

Clam Soup with Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

Serves 4

 

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

1 jumbo Vidalia onion, sliced thin

1 tsp. sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 red (or 2 yellow) potatoes, cut into chunks

3 cups clam broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 can minced clams (or 24 fresh)



Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. tarragon

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sugar and cook until onions are caramelized.  Add 3 minced cloves of garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.

While onions are cooking, boil potatoes until tender.  Drain and put aside for now. 

Add clam broth to the onions and stir.  Bring to a simmer.  Slowly add the cream, stirring rapidly to avoid the cream curdling.  Add in the potatoes and stir to combine.  Add in the minced clams (or fresh clams.)  If using fresh, simmer until the clams open.  Season soup with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle on the tarragon.   

Island Chicken

I was feeling something different for dinner the other night, but all I had defrosted was a package of 8 chicken thighs.  Boooooring!!  Fortunately, I recalled that they lend themselves very well to marinades.  I'm saved!  Let's whip one up!

I'm calling this concoction "Island Chicken."  It reminds me of some of the jerk chicken I've had in the past, but I didn't use any peppers (scotch bonnet, in particular) so it wasn't as spicy as jerk would have been.  Plus, there are a few different ingredients in this mix that I don't believe a typical jerk marinade has (like Coke...the "real thing.")  Either way, it turned out awesome and I want to share it with you guys!

Start this process either the evening before the day you want to eat or early in the morning on the day you want this for dinner.  Timing is everything!  First, lay your chicken thighs on a sheet pan and liberally coat them with salt.  This helps to flavor the chicken and keeps it juicy.  Don't worry, we'll wash it off in about 30 minutes, once it's done it's job.

Grab your blender.  Sounds fun already, doesn't it?  Anything involving a blender is just bound to be a good time!  Into the blender, add a roughly chopped onion, 4 peeled garlic cloves, an inch or so of peeled fresh ginger, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 1/3 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp. of either Coca Cola or root beer, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and a couple shakes of liquid smoke (if you've got it...it's optional.) 

 

Blend it all together until smooth. 

Now for the spices!  Add the following to the blender: 2 tsp. allspice, 1 tbsp. thyme, 1 tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp. nutmeg, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. 

Blend on high for at least a minute to make sure all the spices are incorporated.  It will not look very appetizing (truth be told, most marinades don't!), but just wait til you get a whiff! 

I know what you're thinking, but juuuuust wait...

 

Rinse the salt off your chicken thighs and transfer them to a deep dish.  Cover them completely with the marinade and let them sit as long as possible in your fridge.  8 hours minimum is great, but I know we don't all have that kind of time!  Do what you can do.

 

See? Looking better already!

 

(Fast forward to some time in the future...)  Now that the chicken has had time to soak up all those flavors, it's time to grill it!  Heat up your grill to medium heat and transfer the chicken on to the grates.  It will need 10-12 minutes of cooking time on each side.  You can use a portion of the marinade to baste with.  While the chicken's hanging out and getting basted, pour the rest of the marinade into a saucepan and boil it for 10 minutes on your stovetop.  Use it as a dipping sauce for the chicken once it's done.  Oooo baby!

 

Chicken meets grill...sizzling!

 

I served up our chicken with rice and roasted broccoli because I find that each item soaks up the sauce very efficiently.  In addition, a nice glass of Riesling helped temper some of the spiciness.  See that?  A wine pairing!  Now I'm getting all fancy! 

 

How's my plating?  I'm working on that.

 

I really think you're going to enjoy this dish.  There are so many flavors to savor!  Just a warning...it's a lil bit spicy so make sure you're prepared!  If you're not a spicy flavor fan, use less cayenne pepper in your marinade. 

 

Try it.  You'll like it.

 

-Sam

 

 

Island Chicken

 

8 chicken thighs

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1 inch fresh ginger

1/2 c vinegar

1/2 c fresh orange juice

1/3 c fresh lime juice

1/4 c soy sauce

2 tbsp. Coke or root beer

1/4 tsp liquid smoke (if desired)

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 tsp. allspice

1 tbsp. thyme

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

 

Place chicken on a plate or sheet pan and salt liberally.  Let rest for 30 minutes. 

 

In a blender, add all remaining ingredients and blend on high for a minute or longer, until smooth.

 

Rinse salt from chicken and transfer to a deep dish.  Pour marinade over chicken and place in fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. 

 

Once ready to cook, transfer the chicken to a medium-hot grill, reserving the marinade.  Grill the chicken for 10-12 minutes per side until cooked through, basting with a portion of the marinade.  Transfer remaining marinade to a saucepan and boil for 10 minutes.  Serve sauce on the side.