This is a tomato-based chowder , which is a spin on the classic variation!

Ingredients: (Makes 6 servings)

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large stalks celery (with leaves).chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice
• 2 cans (6 ½ ounces each) chopped clams (with juice)
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) reduced – sodium stewed tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 ½ cups frozen whole kernel corn
• ¾ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp salt (optional)
• 1/8 tsp  ground black pepper
• 2 – 3 drops hot – pepper sauce
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation:

Take the oil and warm it up in a pan over medium heat, then add the onions, celery, garlic and three tablespoons of the clam juice. Cook this for about five minutes or until it has all become tender. If you feel it is necessarily, add more clam juice while you are cooking.

Take the clams and drain out the juice in a small bowl. Leave the clams aside and add the clam juice to the mixture that you have been cooking. Then add in the potatoes, green peppers, and the rest of the bottled clam juice. Bring this all to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Let it simmer for about ten minutes or more, until the potatoes have become tender. Then add in the tomatoes with the juice, the corn, the thyme, the basil, the chili powder, the salt, the black pepper, the hot pepper sauce, the bay leaf, and the clams that you had set aside. Bring this all to a boil and cover and let simmer once more for about five minutes, then remove the bay leaf and throw away.