Rhode Island Quahog Chowda - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 lbs quahogs
6 cups water
1/4 cup salt pork, finely diced
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cups raw potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Scrub quahaugs to clean well.
Place into a large kettle with the 6 cups water, cover and cook over medium until shells open (approximately 5 minutes).
Remove quahaugs from water and throw out quahaugs any that haven't opened up.
Remove the meat from the opened shells and chop into fine pieces.
Discard shells, but save all of the cooking liquid.
In a large pot, render the salt pork until brown.
Add the onions and saute a few minutes.
Measure reserved cooking water and add additional water to make a full 8 cups liquid.
Pour this liquid into the pot with the salt pork and onions.
Add potatoes, salt and pepper.
Simmer until the potatoes are very tender (aapproximately 5-10 minutes).
Add the chopped quahaug meat and bring to a slow boil for 2-3 minutes.
If you like, you may set a small pitcher of milk or cream on the table for guests to add a splash to individual portions, for those who prefer it that way.