Simple Clam Chowder

Taken from Cooking Light, January/February 2008

Yield: 12 servings (1/2 cup)
I only needed to make soup for 4 to 6 servings, so I modified the amounts used.

2 bacon slices (I used pancetta)
2 c chopped onion (I used 1/2 an onion)
1 1/4 c chopped celery (I used 2 stalks)
1/2 tsp salt (I used a pinch)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (I omitted this)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1 large clove)
6 (6 1/2 ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained (I used 1 large 10 oz can of whole baby clams w/juice)
5 cups diced, peeled baking potato - about 1 pound (I used 1 large potato)
4 (8 oz) bottles clam juice (I used 1 bottle)
1 bay leaf (I omitted)
3 cups fat free milk (I used about 1 cup 1% milk)
1/2 c all purpose flour (I omitted)

Cook bacon in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tsp drippings in pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.
Add onion, celery, salt, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan. (I added a bit of olive oil to have 1 tsp equivalent in my pan).
Cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Drain clams, reserving liquid. Add this clam liquid, potato, clam juice and bay leaf to pan; bring to a boil.
Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 12 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. (I added a little milk and omitted the thickening, it wasn't needed.)
Add clams, cook 2 minutes.
Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

The soup I made was delicious and probably lighter than the Cooking Light recipe, which claims each serving has 257 calories with 10% from fat. I had to take a break in the preparation following the step for adding the clam liquid, potato and juice. Returning an hour later, after driving to and from basketball practice, I resumed with the milk and finished the recipe and served it within minutes to the hungry athletes. The leftovers were equally good for lunch the following day.