Clam Chowder (Giant Clam Stew)

Preparation:

Preparation: Peel the potatoes with the appropriate tool and cut them into small cubes; cut the pancarré, the tenderloin and the bacon into cubes. Wash the shells for a long time under running water, rubbing them with a hard brush, then open them with a sturdy knife and collect the liquid that comes out in a bowl. Remove the fruits from the shells and chop them coarsely. Brown the bacon in a saucepan over moderate heat for 4-5 minutes, then add the other ingredients, arranging them in layers: start with the potatoes and continue with the diced pork tenderloin and bacon, the onion cut into brunoise , corn and, finally, the molluscs with their filtered liquid. Sprinkle each layer with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Every time you add an ingredient, shake the saucepan so that no gaps form between the various layers and the preparation can cook evenly. Distribute the pancarré cubes on the preparation, then pour the milk to completely cover all the ingredients. Cover the casserole, put it in the preheated oven (200 degrees) and let it cook for 20 minutes. Clam Chowder is a cross between a soup and a stew, therefore the ingredients must be well cooked but still firm, so that they can be distinguished, while the cooking juices must be quite thick but not dry. Serve the Clam Chowder piping hot with slices of white bread. --- It's a traditional American dish and, as often happens with this type of preparation, there are multiple versions of it. In addition to the giant clams, called ''clam chowder'', there are some basic ingredients that recur in all the recipes, namely onions, potatoes and a smoked salami, which can be bacon or ham. If you want to make the dish particularly delicate, you can replace part of the milk with cream.