"The Town" and New England Clam Chowder

When I think of the New England region, especially the city of Boston, I think of creamy and delicious "New England Clam Chowdah." It's the unofficial dish of the region and it's one of my favorite soups to enjoy on a chilly day. Using freshly steamed clams and the liquid we steam them in really enhances the flavor of the chowder. The combo of tender clams and vegetables in a creamy broth has made this version of clam chowder so popular. It's such a hearty soup and one that's relatively easy to make. Since we're making a dinner that will make us feel like we're in Boston, this weeks movie will help take us there too. Ben Affleck's 2010 film "The Town" is one of the best movies I've ever seen and I'm confident you'll all enjoy this pairing. Call up your friends over, maybe have a few Boston lagers, a nice bowl of "Chowdah", "The Town" on the TV, and you'll feel like you're in the heart of Boston.

Serves 5-7

50 little neck clams
1 medium sized onion (Diced)
1 celery stalk (Diced)
1 carrot (peeled and finely diced)
6 red skinned potatoes
3 tablespoons of butter
¼ of flour
2 bay leaves
2 cups of heavy cream
14oz can of Vegetable or Chicken broth 
Salt and Pepper
Freshly chopped parsley and scallions (optional)

Rinse the clams under running water to get any sand or dirt off that may be on their shells. Place the clams in a large soup pot and cover them with a cup and half of water. Put a lid of the pot and place on the stove top over high heat. Steam the clams for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the clams that have opened and set them aside. Some clams will take longer to open than others so put the lid back on the pot and steam them for a few more minutes. At this point any clams that haven't opened should be discarded.

Now that we've steamed our clams and removed them from the pot, we're going to strain the liquid left in the pot. The water we steamed the clams in has turned into flavorful clam juice so don't even think about just pouring this down the drain. We do want to take extra care though to make sure we don't have any sand or dirt that may have been inside the clams. To do this, use a mesh strainer and a coffee filter. Fit the strainer above a bowl or a large measuring cup and carefully pour the hot clam broth through the strainer.

Give the pot you steamed the clams in a quick rinse and melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrots to the melted butter and cook the vegetables together for about 10 minutes. Next, add the flour right into the pot over top the vegetables and stir together. What we're doing here is making a roux which will help thicken our chowder. Cook the vegetables with the flour for 2 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste - stirring constantly. Mix in the reserved clam juice and the can of broth. Stir the contents of the pot together and toss in the 2 bay leaves. Add the heavy cream to the broth and vegetables and bring the liquid to a simmer - remember a simmer is steam rising from the top but no bubbles. Cover the pot and allow the chowder to simmer for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the soup simmers, remove the meat of the clams from the shells and chop the clam meat into very small pieces. Rinse the potatoes and cut out any rough spots on the skin. You can use another type of potato like a Yukon gold but I prefer using red skinned both for their flavor and the fact you don't have to peel them. Dice the potatoes into fairly small and evenly cut pieces.

Remove the lid from the pot and add both the potatoes and the clam meat into the chowder. Bring the chowder to a boil. Stir the chowder occasionally and cook until the potatoes in the chowder are tender. Season with salt and pepper.



Finish off the chowder by adding the freshly chopped parsley and scallions. Serve the chowder with some freshly bake biscuits (I'll share my recipe for buttermilk biscuits on Friday) and that's what I call dinner! Now that our chowder is done and dinner is served, it's movie time!

Ben Affleck has recently become one of the top directors in the film business, and rightfully so. His most recent film "Argo" took home the prize for best picture and his 2010 film "The Town" was just as deserving of that honor. Affleck starred in and directed a near perfect movie in my eyes and will one day be considered a classic film from it's time. It's a gripping story from start to finish and if you haven't seen it yet, you really don't know what you're missing.

Director Ben Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, a professional bank robber from the Charlestown region of Boston. Along with his team consisting of his best friend Jim (Jeremy Renner) they look ahead at planning their next job but first have to deal with a complication on their last. When police respond to one of their robberies before they had planned, Jim decides to take the terrified bank manager Claire (Rebbecca Hall) as a temporary hostage. After they're confident they've made it safely back to their protective grounds of Charlestown, they release Claire but soon find out she won't be going very far.

Jim discovers from Claire's drivers license that Claire lives only a few blocks from where Doug and the rest of the crew reside and though she was blinded folded, they fear she's still too close for comfort. Doug takes it upon himself to follow Claire to make sure she doesn't have any information that could lead to the robbery being traced back to them. After a not so random meeting between the two, Doug gets closer to Claire than he had planned and begins to develop strong feelings for the innocent woman he recently held at gun point.To make matters worse, Special agent Adam Frawley (John Hamm) is close behind Doug, Jim, and the rest of the gang's trail and is only a few steps away from having enough evidence to bring them all down.

Though Doug is still in the midst of planning the next heist, he sees the chance to make a change in his life for the better. Jim soon becomes aware of Doug and Claire's relationship and is fearful that she may be the missing link the FBI needs to put them all away for life. Now torn between his loyalty to his friends and the love he begins to feel for Claire, Doug struggles with the truth he has hidden from the woman he's fallen in love with and looks for a way to leave his life of crime behind for good.

"The Town" is both an action packed heist movie and a dramatic story between a man's life in crime and his desire to make a better future for himself. It's a film filled with incredible performances from the entire cast which also includes Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite, and Blake Lively in supporting roles. Jeremy Renner's performance in particular is truly mesmerizing and his role earned him a well deserved Oscar nomination for best actor in a supporting role. If "The Town" is a movie you may have missed, It's certainly one that I'd recommend to anyone looking to watch a great film. Here is the trailer for "The Town", truly a favorite film of mine and I think you'll enjoy it too!