Now, we’re on to the main course of this all corn dinner–a clam and corn chowder, perfect for a seaside supper.

If you missed them, here are the previous two courses:

Drinks Snack:  All Corn Dinner: With Cocktails Try Chewy Corn Nibbles

First Course: Corn Dinner: First Course, Grilled Corn on the Cob

Dessert Course: Coming Friday!

Clam and corn chowder with chives and scallions

Ingredients

2 quarts chicken broth (defatted or store bought low fat)

8 ears of corn, shucked. (If you have the cobs left over from the corn nibbles, you can use some of those.)

2 medium potatoes (waxy is preferred), peeled and cut into ¾ inch dice

1 ½  dozen Little Neck or Topneck clams, cleaned by soaking in water with 1 tablespoon of cornmeal for about 4 hours (in the fridge).

1 medium sweet onion, cut into medium dice

¼ cup olive oil

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and diced

1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 bunch scallions, trimmed of half the green part, and the rest sliced into thin rounds

1 bunch chives, thinly sliced

Method

1. Scrape off the corn and use the back of a knife to get all the corn “juice” off the cobs. Put aside. Then put all 8 cobs in the pot of chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes (you can cut up the cobs to make this more manageable). Strain the liquid after 30 minutes and reduce to 1 ½ quarts.

1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add bacon, sugar, salt and white pepper.  Mix well.  Add the chicken stock that has been strained, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and the clams. Bring to a boil, reduce heat right away and simmer for about 8 minutes—until potatoes are almost done and clams are mostly open. The chowder will be thin, at this point.

1. Add the corn kernels and the corn “juice.” Simmer over low heat another 3 minutes.

1. Mix the cornstarch with a little water until it is dissolved, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Then add some hot soup to the cornstarch until you have about 1 cup and mix well.  Return the cornstarch mixture to the soup, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, not more.  If it is still too thin, repeat this step.

1. When you serve the soup, garnish each serving with scallions and chives.

1. Don’t forget bowls for the clam shells.