The crisp fall air always makes me crave hearty, fall-flavored soup, but unfortunately, soup is not among my husband’s favorite meals. Among the few exceptions to this rule is our Levantine Clam Chowder. My husband learned the original recipe for this chowder from a Lebanese chef in Boston, MA at a cafe where he once worked. We have modified it since to comply with our lower-carbohydrate diet by replacing potatoes with spicy turnips. With it's unusual Middle Eastern flavors, it makes a nice twist on clam chowder. I think it's delicious!

Recipe for Levantine Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

(Be forgiving, quantities vary with our mood and inclination!)

- 1 quart of light cream

- 2 small turnips (the apple-sized variety, white with purple tops and thin skins), diced

- 1 medium-sized parsnip, diced

- 2 cups of celery, diced

- 1 cup of carrots, diced

- 1 small yellow onion, diced

- 4 gloves of garlic, diced

- 1 8 oz. jar of clam broth or juice (we used a no-MSG variety from Snow’s)

- 1 10 oz. can of whole baby clams (chopped clams can also be used if kids are squeamish about seeing clam bellies or if you aren’t from New England and feel squeamish yourself!)

- 3 pinches of salt

- 2 pinches of black pepper (onto coarsely chopped garlic)

- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper)

- ¼ tsp cinnamon

- ¼ tsp nutmeg

- 2 pinches of cumin

- Enough olive oil to sauté vegetables

Yields 1.5 quarts of chowder

Directions: First, set quart of light cream on counter to allow it to slowly warm to room temperature. Next, dice and brown diced carrots, parsnip, celery, turnips, and onion in olive oil with salt to taste. Be sure to sauté in a wide pan to allow moisture to evaporate. While this is sautéing, chop garlic on cutting board and sprinkle pinches of black pepper and salt over it. Allow garlic mixture to sit until vegetables are brown. Then, add garlic (coated with pepper and salt), cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and cumin to the pan and sauté a little longer, until you smell the garlic. (note: these flavors mix better when liquid has reduced, but be careful not to sauté too long, or the seasonings will burn).

Pour sautéed vegetable mixture into a soup pot, adding the jar of clam juice and can of clams. Next, pour in the quart of cream. Stir and heat on medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes. Chowder should simmer, but do not allow boiling, or the cream mixture will break! Now you're ready to serve!

Enjoy with a tossed green salad with olive oil and balsamic dressing. We don’t eat bread, but fresh pita or lavash bread would be an excellent accompaniment!