Recipe - Compromise Brisket

36 lg Clams (such as Quahogs) or
2 cup Shucked fresh clams
2 cup Fresh clam juice, from
clams, or bottled clam
juice
4 tablespoon Butter
3 Leeks, white parts only,
thinly cut or sliced up into rounds
2 Celery ribs, minced
One half Green bell pepper, minced
4 tablespoon Flour
2 cup Fish or chicken stock
2 md Potatoes, peeled and minced
1 cn (28ounce) tomatoes
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme leaves (or 1 ts
dried), plus 6 sprigs for
garnish

If using fresh clams, shuck them over a bowl to catch their juices. Measure
2 cups of juices, transfer to a small saucepan and heat just to boiling.
Meanwhile, in a soup pot heat butter over mediumh igh heat, add leeks,
celery and pepper and saute, stirring, for 10 minutes, without browning.
Reduce heat and whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Whisk in boiling clam juice and fish or chicken stock and heat to
simmering. Add potatoes. Squeeze tomatoes with your hands into soup pot.
Stir in thyme leaves. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In a food processor blend 2/3 cup of clams to a puree; coarsely chop
remaining 1 1/3 cups clams. When ready to serve, reduce soup to barely
simmering and vigorously stir in pureed clams. In a small s aucepan combine
coarselychopped clams with a ladleful of chowder and heat for 20 seconds
over low heat. Divide chowder among soup bowls and top each portion with
some chopped clams. Garnish with thy me sprigs.

Recipe by: David Rosengarten Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #513 by "Master
Harper Gaellon" gaellon@inch.com on Mar 12, 1997