Spengers Clam Chowder from Chef Boisen of Spengers Fish Grotto in Berkeley CA

Award-winning New England clam chowder

Thursday, December 11, 2008. Nick Smith visited Chef Devon Boisen of Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley for this delicious and hearty recipe for winter.Spenger's award-winning New England clam chowder 

From Chef Devon Boisen:
2 cups medium diced potatoes
4 strips sliced bacon, not particularly lean
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery.                                  carrots chopped.                                                    1 green pepper chopped
1 quart water
1 (8-ounce) can clam juice
1 1/2 pounds clams
1 cup cream
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon clam soup base

Blanch the potatoes until just barely tender. Rinse under cold running water, drain, and set aside. Sauté the bacon in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat until it is crisp and all bacon fat has been rendered. Remove the bacon from the pan, dice, and set aside. Return grease to the pot along with half the butter. Add flour and cook the roux on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the roux from pot and set aside. Add remaining butter to pot and sauté the carrots, onions, green peppers, and celery over low heat to soften. Return roux to pot, and add the water and clam juice. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring frequently for 6 to 8 minutes, until thickened. Add clams, bacon, potatoes, seasonings, and cream. Simmer about 10 minutes.

About Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto:Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto has been one of the Bay Area's most renowned culinary destination points for over 110 years. Adding to the Spenger's experience are the unique nautical paraphernalia and historic collectibles. Spenger's is located at 1919 Fourth Street in Berkeley, California and the telephone number is (510) 845-7771. Visit Spenger's on the Web at www.spengers.com.

Spengers vintage clam chowder!

 The Berkeley institution used to print the recipe on the paper bags used for takeout in the restaurant’s fish market. Roma Mirov of Fremont found a recipe for Spenger’s chowder in her “old favorites” collection.

Recipe: Spenger's Clam Chowder

Recipe from Spenger's
POSTED:   08/28/2013
SPENGER'S BOSTON CLAM CHOWDER

Serves 4

Note: This vintage recipe calls for MSG. Substitute salt, if you wish, and season to taste.

Ingredients:
4 pounds clams in shells, scrubbed and drained
4 strips bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon MSG (substitute w/ Accent)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 large boiling potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
Salt, pepper
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup half-and-half

Directions:
1. In a large pot, place clams and enough boiling water just to cover. Cook, covered, until clams open. Remove clams; reserve liquid. Remove meat from shells and finely chop.
2. In a saute pan, gently saute bacon. Add onion; cook 5 minutes more.
3. Add bacon and onion to the clam stock; bring to a boil. Add thyme, MSG, if using, parsley, diced potatoes and chopped clams. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer.
4. In a small pot, melt butter. Blend in flour and stir into simmering stock. When stock coats a spoon and potatoes are fork-tender, stir in half-and-half and warm through. Do not let the mixture boil. Serve in deep soup bowls.

Note: For Manhattan style chowder, add 4 peeled, chopped tomatoes, 1/4 stalk chopped celery and 1 chopped green pepper at the same time you add the onions. Omit the half-and-half.-- Spenger's, submitted by Roma Mirov

Buds Spaghetti

Sauce Ingredients:
tomato paste
tomato sauce
oregano
italian seasoning
salt & pepper
garlic or garlic powder.
Or use prego

add:
browned new york sweet italian sausage links
browned hot links cut into 3 or 4 inch pieces
ground beef browned.
1 diced onion
1 can diced green chilies
sugar to taste. 

Simmer 2 hrs or so.

Sometimes he just used the prego sauce.
...never mixed sauce w the Pasta.  Put pasta in dish topped w sauce.   Or just eat sauce w french bread or toast

Best Marinated Tritip!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 pinch cayenne pepper
About 2 lbs Tritip

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke, and cayenne pepper.

Place steaks in a shallow glass dish with the marinade, and turn to coat. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 mins to 1 day. Prepare charcoal grill for medium-high heat with charcoal to one side. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steak directly over coals for several minutes on each side to sear in juices with bbq lid on vents cracked slightly open. Move steak over edge of coals and cook till meat reaches 143 degrees (meidum well pink and juicy!) keeping the lid on and bottom vent slightly open & top vent holes fully open opposite of intake vent so smoke travels across meat. (I like to brush on marinade mixture a few times on each side while it cooks) perfection!

My Sriracha Deviled Eggs!

Ingredients:

12 hard boiled eggs
6 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp dijon mustard
5 to 6 tsp sriracha
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Dash of Aji-Mirin sweet cooking rice seasoning                                                           

Salt and pepper

smoked paprika to taste for garnish

Instructions:

Peel eggs and cut in half.

Scoop all yolks into a bowl and mash finely with a fork.

Add mayonnaise, mustard, sriracha, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Use a spoon or piping bag to fill each egg half

Sprinkle decent amount of smoked paprika over deviled eggs and serve!

These are awesome!!