So I dunno if you guys have noticed, but it’s getting cold. Winterveil was pretty cold. Like, bundle up and stay in side watching the snow with someone you love cold. Like snuggle up in a blanket with hot cocoa cold. But First-Month?
First month is ‘it’s too cold to get out of bed to pee’ cold. Like, seriously considering the repercussions of not getting out from under the warm blankets ever. How long can you live without eating?
A while, but it’ll be worth getting up when there’s a hot bowl of Gorgrond Clam Chowder waiting for you.
Alright! So this looks like a lot of ingredients — and it is — but let me let you in on a little secret. This is a cauldron recipe. Meaning that you get it chopped, you throw it in the cauldron and you come back later to a delicious hot meal. That’s it. It’s that easy.
So! The cast of characters. You want: some celery, only about two ribs. A medium shallot and a small leek. A medium onion, two tablespoons of butter. A pound (.5 kilo) of bacon, two carrots. 30 oz (about 3 ration cans) of baby clams, drained of the liquid. 16 oz (475 ml) of clam juice. 1.5 cups (350 ml) of heavy cream, 1/4 cup (60 mil) of chicken broth and one block (8oz) of cream cheese, softened.
Phew! That’s a lot of ingredients. Buuut this makes about 12 healthy servings (or 6 orc sized servings) and man is it filling. It will keep you warm.
On to step one! The chopping.
Chop it all! Wash and chop the celery, the carrot, onion, shallot, leek and garlic. If you’re not cooking for a tavern or to impress your overworked girlfriend, make these are coarse or as small as you want. I find chopping a bit meditative so I don’t really mind it.
Then chop the bacon and fry it up. Once it’s nice and crispy, chop it even finer.
Once all the veggies are cooked, once the bacon is fried and chopped, move everything into your cauldron. I like to layer it a bit, with veggies on the bottom, bacon on top, and then the cream cheese on top of that before pouring the liquid around it. But let’s be real, you can huck it in any which way.
Put your cauldron on low coals and cover it. I let it go for about an hour, then come back and stir to make sure that the cream cheese is well incorporated. Then recover it and let it go on low for a total of 6-8 hours.
Once its done, you’ll have a delicious, creamy pot of chowder, hearty enough to keep you warm on even the coldest winter night!
Ingredients:
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 1 shallot
- 1 small leek
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbl butter
- 30 oz (3 ration cans) of baby oysters, drained
- 2 cups (475 ml) clam juice
- 1.5 cups (350 ml) heavy cream
- .25 (60 ml) chicken broth
- 1 lb (.5 kilo) bacon
Instructions:
- Wash and chop all the things. Celery, carrots, onion, shallot, leek and garlic
- Chop the raw bacon, fry it until crisp, then chop it even finer
- Add all ingredients to your cauldron (or crock pot)
- Cook for 1 hour, then stir to combine cream cheese (optional)
- Cook a total of 6-8 hours or until tender and well combined.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Feed the Horde 