Clam Chowder...Homemade, from Scratch, and Deeply Psychological.

I have no idea how soup became the food at which I am best at cooking. All I know is, anytime of year, I am simmering away at the stove. During the hottest days of summer, for the coldest days of winter, when the slightest hint of autumn hits the air, and in spring, when vegetables beg to be sweated in good olive oil and a pat of butter.

In summer, I do gazpacho type soups with our California avocados and coastal tomatoes, and whatever the fishermen have pulled out of the Pacific. Either that, or chicken tortilla soup. You can't live where I live and not know how to make chicken tortilla soup, and once you make it, you'll never order it in a restaurant or buy a plastic tub of it at Costco again.

In the fall, root vegetables reign, so I bring together pumpkin and acorn squash soup with acini de pepe, and add a hint of curry. If I am in the mood to food mill potatoes, I make potato and cheddar soup, or slow cook some lentils and add chicken and basil sausage.

In winter, come on. We're fighting colds and such, so I bring on the scratch chicken noodle soup or avogolemono. I usually jones for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup about this time of year, so I roast tomatoes with garlic and thyme, then puree it with some chicken broth and maybe - if no one is looking - a touch of heavy cream, baby.

Springtime. Our current season. So many moods. Warm and sunny today, cool and blustery tomorrow. Outside recreation - like tidepooling - beckons us. But the wind whips us and freezes the little hands that touch the still cold ocean water, so clam chowder makes sense.

It is not as hard as you think. You only need to make it once or twice to get clam chowder mojo. Then people from all around will talk about your restaurant-quality (or better) clam chowder, that you have to be from, like, New England or something. Really? Me? No, I just love seafood, scratch cooking, and for some reason I need to read Carl Jung about, soup.

And I love my people who love my clam chowder. That is truly the only reason that matters.

Here is a great clam chowder recipe. Dig in.

CLAM CHOWDER

4 slices bacon, diced

3 stalks celery (with leafy tops, especially)

1 small yellow onion, grated or chopped fine

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Russet/Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced

(6) 6.5 oz. cans chopped clams, strained RESERVE THE CLAM JUICE!

* Open cans of clams over a fine mesh strainer and save the clam juice, set clams aside *

(1) 8 oz. bottle of clam juice

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp. all purpose flour

optional - chopped parsley

Over medium-high heat in a large pot, melt butter and add the raw, diced bacon.

Render fat out of and cook bacon and until browned.

With a slotted spoon, remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.

Add celery, onion and garlic to pot and sweat veggies until soft, about 3-4 minutes.

Add potatoes and toss to cover with the rendered bacon fat (it smells sooo good about this point).

Add the bay leaf, strained clam juice and bottle of clam juice to the pot.

Bring to a boil.

When potatoes are cooked (check after 4-5 minutes), add the heavy cream and milk to the pot.

Reduce to a simmer and whisk in flour.

Stir consistently until soup thickens.

Add clams and if using, the chopped parsley.

Remove bay leaf.

I dug up this clam last summer at Coronado state beach. Had to fight a pretty nasty seagull off, too. But I'm okay now.

Clam chowder photo from foodnetwork.com.