Bratten’s Clam Chowder Revisited

Bratten’s Clam Chowder is beloved “comfort food” recipe in Utah.

My mom, Patricia Dymock, is recovering from shoulder replacement surgery. Despite the nausea and pain, she’s tried to do her rehab exercises faithfully. I suspect that my step-father, John, is getting just as much of a workout putting her through those exercises.

This is when you need comfort food.  I made clam chowder and rice pudding, two dishes that she is able to tolerate well.

I used the old Bratten’s Clam Chowder recipe, but streamlined the preparation and cut down on the fat. I used fat-free half-and-half, and cut the amount of butter from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. It was still very rich and creamy. I ended up including my revised recipe in my cookbook, “Soup’s On!”

For  those who weren’t around in the 1970s, Bratten’s Seafood Grotto was a Utah hot spot, with several locations along the Wasatch Front. The clam chowder had a following that lasted long after the restaurants closed. Recipes claiming to be the real Bratten’s chowder have been passed around in numerous church and neighborhood cookbooks.

The recipe I use, published in  “Five-Star Recipes From Well-Known Latter-Day Saints,” (Deseret Book) came from Bratten’s owner, Milton Weilenmann. So I think it’s the real deal. Some versions call for 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, but my copy from Five-Star Recipes doesn’t. (But I guess you could add the vinegar just to see if how it tastes.)

It’s a simple recipe (see below) but when I make it, I switch it up to cut down on the calories, and to save time.

1. I streamlined the prep time by using frozen onions, and frozen hash browns instead of peeling and dicing potatoes.

2. The original recipe calls for simmering the vegetables in a pan on the stove; I sped things up by simmering in the microwave. By the time you’ve made a roux with the butter/flour mixture, and mixed in the half-and-half, the vegetables are tender and ready to add to the soup.

3.  To cut calories, I cut the amount of butter and flour to 1/2 cup each, and used milk instead of half & half.  The soup is still very thick and rich — you probably won’t miss the fat.

BRATTEN’S CLAM CHOWDER

 1 cup finely diced onion (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen diced onion)

 1 cup finely diced celery

 2 cups diced raw potatoes (or 3 cups frozen hash browns)

 1 cup water

 2 6 1/2-ounce cans of minced clams

 3/4 cup butter (this can be cut to 1/2 cup)

 3/4 cup flour (this can be cut to 1/2 cup)

 1 quart half & half cream (to cut calories, you can use milk or fat-free half & half)

 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

 Pepper to taste

1. Place onion, celery and potatoes in a saucepot, or a microwaveable casserole bowl.

2. Drain juice from clams and pour liquid over vegetables. Add 1 cup water. Simmer the pot over the stove, until vegetables are tender. (If microwaving, place a lid on the bowl and microwave on high 10 minutes, stirring at the 5-minute point.)

3. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in a heavy stock pot. Make a roux by stirring the flour and butter together with a wire whisk. Continuing cooking and stirring the roux  for about 5 minutes.

4. Stir constantly while slowly adding half & half (or milk).  Continue stirring and cooking over medium heat until mixture is thick and smooth.

5. Add the cooked vegetables and clams. Allow the mixture to heat completely through.  Stir in vinegar, salt and pepper. Makes 6 1 1/2 cup servings.

Garnish: Parsley, oyster crackers