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1
Clean the clams. Even when I get my clams from the market, I'll give them a brief scrub with a brush (without soap) under cold water to remove any lingering sand or grit. I have a method that works for me, which involves dumping all of the clams into the sink, and as they're scrubbed, adding them to a colander.
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2
Pour the wine and 1 1/4 cup water into a large pot. Then place a steamer in there, and add your clams. If you don't have a steamer, that's okay, but you might want to shift your clams around as you heat them so the bottom ones don't overcook on the bottom of the pot. Bring the heat up to medium and cover the pot until they open. The time needed really depends on the size of the clams; bigger ones need more time. Generally this takes around 15-20 minutes.
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3
While your clams are steaming, you can prep the other food by chopping the onions, celery, bacon, and thyme. You can also grate and chop the potatoes. Generally I peel both, chop them in half. One half gets grated and one half gets chopped finely (about 1/4 inch). You want those chopped pieces to be really small so they don't take forever to cook in the soup. Don't be weirded out if the russet potato browns a little as it sits out as you're cooking the other steps of the recipe.
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4
When the clams have opened, remove them from the heat. When they're cool enough to handle, remove their clam bodies and chop them finely. I usually wash my hands again and do a quick massaging of them to make sure there aren't any shell bits. Place these in the fridge while you do the rest.
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5
Pour the liquid in the pan (your salty, homemade stock!) into a pitcher or large liquid measuring cup. Even though you'll only use 2 cups of it, pour it all into something so that the leftover clam bits sink to the bottom.
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6
Give your large pot a quick rinse and wipe. Then add the butter and the bacon on medium heat. You'll want to keep moving everything around with a wooden spoon so that nothing burns at all. You don't want any burned bits taking over the flavor of your chowder; it's all in the same pot from here!
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7
Once the bacon is pretty much cooked, but not crispy, you'll make a roux by adding the flour. This is going to thicken up the soup later, and add a nice toasted flavor. Keep moving the flour around in the grease, bacon, and butter mix until it turns slightly darker. This is called a blond roux. If you do burn this, it's not too late to turn back, rise the pan, and start over with new bacon and butter.
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8
Once the roux is slightly darker (2-3 minutes), add the celery and onion, continuing to stir. It is going to smell heavenly in a minute. Keep stirring slowly for about 3-4 minutes.
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9
Add 2 cups of the reserved stock. Try to do this all at once. There are different opinions out there on whether stock should be hot when added to hot roux, but as there are pros for both sides, I side on the one that doesn't require an additional pan on the stove. I have noticed that you're less likely to clump when adding the stock all at once though. Just add the 2 cups and stir quickly to combine.
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10
Once the broth is incorporated, add the grated potatoes and bay leaf. Push the veggies and bacon so that they are spread out across the pot so that everything is as covered by liquid as possible. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up any bits at the bottom of the pot.
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11
After the 12-15 minutes, remove the bay leaf and puree what's left in the pot. You can use a blender or a food processor to get the job done, but I love using a handheld blender. If you have one, try tilting the pot so that you can just hold your blender in place and let gravity do the work for you. Be patient and try to blend this as smoothly as you can.
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12
Once the potatoes are soft, add the cream, thyme, and tobasco. Start with 12 dashes or so of the hot sauce, and then taste to see if you want more. Then add the reserved clams.
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13
The stock is really never the same when working with fresh clams, so at this point I usually test the soup liberally, and see if it's too salty. If you think you have too much salt, try adding a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice at a time. I never add more than 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon). You'll also notice that I prefer my chowder more brothy than other creamy varieties. This is so I can overload it with bread. If you want to thicken and cream up your soup, mix 1 cup of cream with 1/4 cup flour. Then add a little bit at a time to the pot, as it thickens.
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14
Serve with extra thyme, and crackers or bread for dipping!
