New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

1/4 lb. bacon
1 small onion diced
2 - 3 potatoes diced
2 small carrots diced
1 stalk celery diced
2 cups flour
3 qt. milk
2 qt. clam juice, fish stock, or water (not including the juice in canned clams)
2 52 oz cans sea clams
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. parsley
1 Tbsp. thyme
2 cups cream (optional)

Instructions

1) Brown bacon, Reserve cooked bacon, and add 2 cups of clam juice to a simmer, slowly stir in flour and keep over low heat while stirring for 5 minutes to create a roux. 2) Boil all other clam juice including strained juice from canned clams, add vegetables and simmer 20 minutes or till tender. 3) Add Roux, clams, and all seasonings except thyme, simmer for 20 minutes. 4) Add milk and simmer for 20 minutes, 5) Add thyme and crumbled cooked bacon, simmer 10 minutes. Taste and add cream to suit your taste.
Serves 12
(for a lighter version skip step one, Use low fat milk, and to make the Roux use 4 cups of liquid from boiled vegetables in a blender with flour, blend till smooth. To get some of the flavor lost from the bacon thinly sliced smoked salmon can be browned in a skillet and added to finished soup at serving time