Clam chowder recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds steamer clams
• 1½ cups filtered water
• 4 slices sugar-free, pastured bacon
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 pounds celeriac, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 chives, whites sliced thinly

1. Let the clams soak in a bowl of water with a tablespooon of salt dissolved in it for 20 minutes, then clean them carefully with a wire brush, tossing any of them that are broken, being sure to get all of the sand and debris off of them.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, add the clams, cover and turn down to a simmer. After about 4 minutes the clams should start opening, once they do so, pull them out one by one. Continue doing this until the clams have cooked another 4 minutes. If there are any that haven’t opened at this point, throw them away. Set the clams aside to cool and strain and reserve 1 ½ cups of the clam broth.
3. In another pot, cook the bacon slices until they are crispy and remove them from the pan, leaving the fat. Keeping the heat on, add the onion, carrots, garlic, fresh thyme and bay leaf to the pot and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Add the 1½ cups of reserved clam broth and the celeriac, bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the celeriac is soft.
4. While the celeriac is cooking, remove the clams from their shells one by one and chop the bacon into bits. When the celeriac is finished, turn off the heat and transfer half of the mixture into a blender and puree, adding it back to the pot.
5. 5. Stir in the clams, coconut milk, and bacon bits. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately – if you must, reheat gently.