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Home / Food and Wine Pairings / Spring clam and asparagus chowder

Spring clam and asparagus chowder

Chef, Lenny Redé
Wine Pairings:   Chardonnay

, 

Oregon Chardonnay is the wine for this thick creamy spring chowder

 

Savvy match: A clean, crisp Oregon Chardonnay is the way to go for this thick creamy spring clam and asparagus chowder. With flavors of tart apple and starfruit and medium acidity to cut through the creamy chowder, unoaked Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc is a perfect pairing to get you into a spring state of mind.

As winter turns to spring, the weather begins to warm, flowers bloom, and fresh produce becomes more readily available. This hearty Spring clam and asparagus chowder is alive with fresh vegetables and flavors. Asparagus, peas, corn, and fennel meld together in a rich, creamy sauce with aromatic herbs of rosemary and thyme for an exquisite taste and texture. Adding briny clams and their juice to the salty, savory, fatty bacon base builds flavors and textures that will warm your soul and remind you that spring has arrived and longer, warmer days are on the horizon. Chardonnay is a dynamic white wine with an intriguing structure and flavor profile not present in other white wines. It can be aged in oak barrels to develop a creamy, buttery texture often seen in Napa Valley wines. In contrast, some Oregon and Sonoma Chardonnay’s are not oak-aged and display characters similar to Sauvignon Blanc and other traditional crisp white wines.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 ounces bacon, ½” dice
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 bulb fennel, diced
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups clam juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 medium red potatoes, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 ear fresh sweet corn or 1 cup frozen corn (fresh is better)
  • 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch slices, hard stems removed 
  • 2 cups fresh peas (frozen will do)
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Italian parsley to garnish
  • 1 ½ pounds fresh live clams
  • 2 ounces dry vermouth or white wine

Steps

1.

Peel the corn and using a sharp knife cut kernels off the cobs.

2.

Finely dice onion and fennel. Dice the potato and set aside. Dice the bacon.

3.

Heat a heavy stock pot, add the butter and cook the bacon. When done, set aside about half for garnishing the soup later and add the onion and fennel to the pan, stirring often until onions and fennel soften.

4.

Add the flour and cook until a roux forms.

5.

Add the clam juice and water, stir until velvety and thickened. Add the diced potatoes, white pepper, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf.

6.

Simmer gently for twenty minutes until the potatoes are tender.

7.

Add the asparagus, corn and peas then cook for 5 minutes.

8.

In a separate pan steam the clams with white wine or vermouth. Cook just until the shells open, then add the clams and steaming liquid to the pot. (You can remove the meat from the shells if you like.) 

9.

Add cream and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

10.

Simmer till soup thickens.

11.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with the Italian parsley.

Chef Image

About Chef, Lenny Redé

Restaurateur, Chef, Wine Steward, and Educator

Leonard Redé brings a unique blend of culinary and wine expertise to everything he does. An award-winning Pastry Chef, his desserts have graced the tables of Presidential State Dinners for Bill Clinton, he has presented High Tea to the late Princess Diana and created gilded birthday cakes for the Sultan of Brunei. He was nominated for educator of the year when he was a Chef Instructor at the world renowned Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He loves to share his passion for all things gastronomic and he’ll gladly help you navigate the world of wine and is always quick with a wine pairing or recipe.

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