Like every child growing up in the ‘90s, I was a big fan of The Boxcar Children novels. I was particularly enamored with one story, “Surprise Island,” (which I just found out is a movie now) in which the oldest girl, Jessie, makes clam chowder from scratch with clams the children find on the island. I was obsessed with the idea that you could make clam chowder out of a few simple ingredients, because I’d always loved the Progresso version from a can (and I still do).

So two years ago, when the weather was bitterly cold, I decided to try making clam chowder from scratch. I Googled a couple of recipes, but when everyone claims they have the best one, it’s hard to know what to trust. So I just went with what I knew from the back of a Progresso can—clams, onions, celery, potatoes. And after a lot of trial and error, I think I’ve perfected it. And now, as winter has finally and that familiar, chilly quiet has begun to set into the city, this is the perfect time to make it.

The thing I love about soup is its simplicity. It’s nice and flavorful and tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but you can pick up the ingredients on your way home from work and have it on the table in under an hour. There are no special ingredients—everything can be purchased at Trader Joe’s, except for the clams, which I’ve found everywhere from Target to Duane Reade to my local grocery store back in Crown Heights tucked behind the canned tuna (I like Snow’s Bumblebee brand). Hot and sour soup is great, but sometimes bamboo shoots and water chestnuts are difficult to find at your average grocery store.

I’m very proud of this recipe, because it’s the first one I’ve ever developed just by experimenting on my own, it’s super easy, and it tastes like some of the best clam chowders I’ve had in restaurants (taste-tested and approved by some of my best friends*). It’s perfect for cozy nights in, when you step out of the early dark and into the warmth of your apartment and immediately shed your heavy coats and light some candles. I may never buy clam chowder again.

That's a lie. I will always buy clam chowder.

*My uncle once challenged me to a clam chowder cook-off, but I was horrified to discover that he meant Manhattan-style clam chowder (a seafood soup resembling cioppino that’s pretty tasty but is definitely not chowder), not New England clam chowder (the superior version, which is delicious and the only kind of clam chowder acceptable to call chowder)

better-than-progresso new england clam chowder

Yields: 1 large pot of soup (maybe ten servings?)
Prep: 15 minutes (or however fast you chop things)
Cook: 30 minutes

clam chowder

1½ sticks butter
1 pint heavy cream
4 cups chicken broth
5 stalks celery, diced
½ large onion, diced
2 large potatoes, cubed
4 cans (10 oz) chopped clams (make sure to save the juice)
¾ cup flour or 3 tbsp corn starch
3 tsp salt
Black pepper

croutons

Bread
Salt
Olive oil

Dice everything (5 stalks celery, ½ large onion, 2 large potatoes) . You’ve had clam chowder before, hopefully. You know how small the pieces should be.

The key to a good chowder is rich flavor and a thick, creamy consistency. So you start with butter. 1½ sticks of it, to be precise. Melt over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add celery and onions and cook until translucent.

Increase heat to high and add 4 cups chicken broth and the juice from 4 cans of clams (this adds a nice saltiness to the buttery broth).

Add 2 potatoes and stir until potatoes are soft. This part takes a little while.

Add ¾ cup flour or 3 tbsp corn starch. I suggest mixing it with some chicken broth or water until it creates a thick paste, and then pouring the whole thing into the pot so the mixture incorporates evenly. Pour in 1 pint heavy cream and lower heat to a simmer.

Stir in the clams and cook until tender. Keep stirring, sprinkling in 3 tsp salt and black pepper to taste, until the mixture has thickened into a chowder.

And it's ready!

I like to let it sit for a bit, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, and make croutons while it’s sitting. You just cube some bread, toss with olive oil and salt, and pop them into the oven for 15 minutes at 350°F. And voilà! Better than Progresso, I promise. Soup group, anyone?

happening meow