Manhattan Clam Chowder

Ingredients

• 4 ounces bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, diced
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
• 5 cups Clam liquid or clam broth
• 16 ounces diced clams, usually frozen, thawed
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Put the bacon in a large dutch oven over low heat. Once some of the fat has melted into the pot, raise the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, then pour off the drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon in the dutch oven.
2. Add the olive oil to the dutch oven. Stir in the garlic and cook just until it smells wonderfully fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots, bay leaves, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the potatoes and clam broth, then add just enough extra water, if you need it, to barely cover the potatoes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring everything to a boil. Cover the dutch oven partway and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Use the wooden spoon to mash some of the potato cubes against the pot, which will give the broth a little more body.
4. Chop the canned tomatoes, then add them to the dutch oven with all of their juice. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chowder thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
5. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the diced clams and parsley. Cover the dutch oven and let the chowder stand for 5 minutes. Serve each bowl with some crumbled bacon over the top.