Cathe's Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped
3 bottles clam juice
1/2 teaspoon dried garlic, minced
1 large potato, cut it into half-inch cubes
10 ounces baby clams, canned
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup half and half
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Fry bacon in 3-quart pan until brown. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon grease in pan. Remove bacon to paper towel to drain well. Crumble bacon and save it for later.
Saute chopped onion in bacon grease until translucent. Shake one of the three bottles of clam juice well and add to the sauteed onion.
Stir in minced garlic and let come to a boil. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half, but don't let the liquid get so low that the sauteed onion and minced garlic brown.
Shake the other two bottles of clam juice well and add to the mixture in the pan. Bring to boil.
Add potato to the boiling clam juice and reduce heat to low (so the mixture bubbles gently) until the potatoes are almost done.
Meanwhile, drain the baby clams, reserving the juice in a cup. Put the clams aside. Stir the cornstarch into the reserved clam juice, blending well.
When the potatoes are just barely done, remove the pan from the heat. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly as you pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan.
Return pan to heat and stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the baby clams and the crumbled bacon (Do not let the soup boil once the baby clams are added; boiling will turn them into rubber).
Add half and half until soup is the consistency you want it.
Add garlic salt and black pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Enjoy your meal !!
Bon Appétit !!
Bon appetito !!
Guten Appetite !!
Buon Apetite !!
Bom apetite !!