A Battle Older Than the Super Bowl, Manhattan Versus New England

posted January 27, 2008

by Amy Powell

http://cooking.cdkitchen.com/RealMealsInMinutes/638.html

It is that time of year when the top two football teams in the country battle it out for the title of Super Bowl champions. This year the tensions are high as the Patriots and the Giants face off in a battle almost as old as, I don’t know, the Red Sox versus the Yankees. We Americans commonly gather for the occasion in our homes, supplied with 30-packs of Miller Lite, bowls of hot wings and a 7-layer dip. But before the timeless battle of New York versus New England plays out in front of us in high def, you might consider an accompanying menu to match the contest on TV.

What greater East Coast food battle has there been than the classic New York versus New England fight over the seafood soup known as clam chowder? New Englanders claim birthrights to this stew of potatoes and clams, as do New Yorkers, who call their version Manhattan clam chowder. The title of Creator of Clam Chowder probably goes to New England, as mentions of the soup date back to the mid-1800s while official mentions of Manhattan clam chowder cannot be found until the early 1900s. But irrespective of who invented it, the true question, not unlike the question of who has the better football team, is who makes the best chowder, period.

Chowder is classically any soup that uses potatoes as a thickening agent. Potatoes can be the sole thickening agent or used in combination with flour, or cream as in the New England version of clam chowder. In clam chowder, be it Manhattan or New England style, onions are sautéed with salt pork (or bacon) and occasionally some other vegetables. Potatoes, clams, and clam juice are added. The difference in the two versions is one of tomatoes or no tomatoes, clear broth or creamy broth.

New England clam chowder was said to have developed because of the relative ease of harvesting clams and their abundant availability on coastal New England states. The rich stew of clams, salt pork and potatoes was then given a cream or milk base for chowder so dense you sometimes need a fork to eat it. The loyalty for this version is so strong that the legislature in the state of Maine proposed a bill in 1939 to outlaw the Manhattan version from being served in Maine’s restaurants. Versions of New England clam chowder are now served all over the country including the popular version served in a sourdough bread bowl you find all over San Francisco.

The origin of Manhattan clam chowder is not as clear as the soup base itself. This clear broth, with the additions of tomatoes, could have its roots in the Portuguese immigrants of Rhode Island, the Italian immigrants in Manhattan, or a combination of the two. One story says it was Portuguese fishermen's families who eliminated the cream from the chowder and began adding tomatoes. New Englanders thought the idea so strange that the only people who could be weird enough to make that adjustment would be New Yorkers, so they began calling it Manhattan clam chowder. Another very plausible story is that Manhattan clam chowder was just a way to rename and market an Italian fisherman’s stew that was already being sold all over New York City’s Little Italy.

This year, perhaps, the chowders will face off at your Super Bowl party as an extension of the battle being played between football teams on the television. Cream versus tomatoes might not be quite the same as Brady versus Manning. But it is a fight worthy of playing out in the kitchen as you watch the battle unfold on the field.

New England Clam Chowder Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/

Serves/Makes: 4
Ready in: < 30 minutes

* 1/4 pound thick cut bacon
* 1/2 large onion
* 1 stalk celery
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 large Idaho potato
* 2 cups clam juice
* 1 can (10 oz size) whole clams in juices
* 1 1/2 cup fish or chicken stock
* 1 cup cream

Preheat soup pot over medium high heat. Cut bacon cross wise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add bacon to hot pot and sauté for about 5 minutes to render fat.

Meanwhile, dice onion and celery. Mince garlic. Remove bacon from pot and set aside for later. Add onion and celery to bacon fat. Reduce heat to medium and sweat onions and celery for about five minutes until softened. Add garlic and sweat for another 2 minutes. Add flour and sauté for 1 minute.

Peel potato and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Add clams with their juices, clam juice, and stock. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for about 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Add cream and reduce heat to medium. Bring soup to a simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve garnish with reserved bacon pieces.

Manhattan Clam Chowder Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/

Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: < 30 minutes

* 1/4 pound thick cut bacon
* 1/2 large onion
* 1 stalk celery
* 1/2 green bell pepper
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/4 pound chorizo sausage
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 cup white wine
* 1 large Idaho potato
* 2 cups clam juice
* 1 can (10 oz size) whole clams in juices
* 1 can (24 oz size) diced tomatoes
* 1 cup fish or chicken stock

Preheat soup pot over medium high heat. Cut bacon cross wise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add bacon to hot pot and sauté for about 5 minutes to render fat.

Meanwhile, dice onion, celery, and green pepper. Mince garlic. Remove bacon from pot and set aside for later. Add onion, celery and pepper to bacon fat. Reduce heat to medium and sweat onions and celery for about five minutes until softened. Add garlic and chorizo and sweat for another 2 minutes. Add flour and sauté for 1 minute. Add white wine and bring to a boil and reduce by half.

Peel potato and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Add clams with their juices, clam juice, tomatoes with their juices and stock. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for about 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Bring soup to a simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve garnish with reserved bacon pieces.