A Christmas Eve tradition — creamy oyster stew or bacon-potato clam chowder.

Ingredients

Oyster Stew:

• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• Optional: 1/2 leek, rinsed and sliced
• 2-3 tbsp flour
• 1 cup broth (clam, chicken or water)
• Salt and white pepper
• 1 pint fresh oysters, drained for broth
• 1 1/2 cups half and half plus milk to thin
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Clam Chowder:

• 1 can chopped clams, drained for broth
• 4 slices bacon, diced and cooked
• 3-4 potatoes, cubed and parboiled

Steps

Oyster Stew:

1. Saute butter, onion, celery and leek.
2. Add flour and cook 2 minutes.
3. Add broth or water and milks.
4. Add oysters.
5. Bring soup slowly up to boil to cook oysters until oysters curl, then remove from heat. Don’t overcook, they get tough.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Can add potatoes if you wish more like stew.
8. Serve with parsley garnish.

Clam Chowder:

1. Substitute clams for oysters. Just warm soup up, no need to boil.
2. Add bacon and potatoes.
3. Season and garnish as above.

Notes

• We have oyster stew every Christmas Eve with ham balls and spinach balls.
• We serve Clam Chowder the night we chop down and decorate the Christmas tree and play Christmas carols singing real loud!