It’s cold out there! Warm up with a big steaming bowl of homemade New England clam chowder, a dish that’s definitely soup-as-a-meal. Serve with big chunks of crusty bread slathered with butter, and dig in.

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If using fresh clams, drain and chop the clams, reserving the liquid.

Heat the pressure cooker over medium heat and fry the diced bacon until it is crisp and the fat rendered. Remove the bacon and set aside. drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the minced onions and the celery to the hot bacon fat in the cooker, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the clams, clam juice, potatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to mix and lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain the pressure and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and use the natural release method to depressurize (see related links for pressure cooker instructions). Carefully open the lid after pressure drops. Discard the bay leaf. Add the milk, cream, and most of the crumbled bacon, reserving some bacon for garnishing. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, but do not boil. Add the potato flakes a little at a time, stirring as the chowder thickens to the desired consistency. Pour into a heated soup tureen and garnish with the green onions, a dusting of paprika, and the extra crumbled bacon.

Variation:
Add 1/2 pound fresh fish, shrimp, crabmeat, or lobster to make a seafood chowder.