This is special and festive enough for the holidays.
I also like to make a special bread with cranberries. Taking advantage of the cranberry’s availability, I’ve made this in the spring. As in my cranberry conserve recipe, this also features cranberries with oranges.
Seattle Clam Chowder
When I was growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a special family weekend included clamming for goey ducks (a big clam used in chowders) very early in the morning and returning in time for a fried clam breakfast. As little kids, we used to wait until the very last moment to race the tide back in; part of the thrill of clamming was that we sometimes got stranded out too far, up to our waist in water, and had to rescued. On my return visits to Seattle, I try to include a clamming expedition.
My version differs from many traditional recipes in that there is no cream and no bacon. I guarantee this is so delicious these ingredients are not missed.
Babe’s Clam Dip
Babe’s Clam Dip, makes 2 cups
This is a modest, 1950s recipe, which my mother made as long as I can remember. No family reunion was complete unless Babe brought her clam dip. Mom always used cream cheese and probably thought it heresy to make it any other way, but hoop cheese (a West Coast term for Farmer Cheese or soft cottage cheese made with less than 1 percent fat) works too, although the texture is different. WIth cream cheese you get a stiffer dip that goes well with crackers or celery; with hoop cheese it ends up with a softer consistency.
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