Ingredients

• 2 Medium Yellow Onions
• 5-6 Small/Medium Potato's or 24 baby red russet's
• 3 full celery stalks w/tops
• 2 or 3 6.5 oz canned chopped clams w/juice
• 1 12oz package bacon
• 1 stick margarine
• 8 cups 1% milk (approx)
• 6 heaping tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp parsley flakes
• 3 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano leaves
• 1 tsp basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp thyme leaves

Directions

1. Chop onions, dice celery, place in 6 qt non-stick pot. Fill 1/3 full with water, bring to boil on medium for 15 minutes. Keep water as a soup base, never drain.

2. Cook, cut, chop, mince bacon. Fry it. It should be crisp. Using pre-cooked bacon works best (less grease). Set aside in small fry pan after crisp. A few tsp of bacon grease is good, no more.

3. Open canned clams and drain juice into pot. Empty cans of chopped clams onto cutting board and mince. Add minced clams to pot. Stir. Dice Potato’s into small bite size pieces and add to pot. Stir. Add all dry seasonings. Stir. Boil on medium/low for 10 more minutes. Stir.

4. Add stick of margarine, add bacon w/grease. Boil on low for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Using 1% milk, fill pot to approx 2/3 – 3/4 full. Bring to slow gentle boil for 5 minutes.

6. nally, thicken with flour and milk in two passes with 3 heaping tbsp of flour and 1.5 cups of milk. again, do this twice or to preferred thickness.

7. Simmer for at least 20 minutes before serving. Can simmer for hours, stir occasionally.

8. The thickening process and simmer are key to an ultra creamy, NO lump, chowder.

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