Today, I'm going to write about one of my favorite subjects, food. I'll be giving a little background, and recipes for some of my favorite dishes. The dishes be very different from typical Texas fare, but with a little perseverance, you can find all the ingredients right here in San Antonio. The easiest, and probably the most expensive source, is HEB's Central Market on Broadway. That said, you can find almost anything there!

The first is New England Clam chowder from a recipe passed down from my grandmother, Laura Howland. Since I was a boy, a favorite pastime in summer was grabbing the clam rake and wire basket, putting on old ratty sneakers to protect my feet from razor sharp clam shells, and heading to the water at low tide. A hour or so later, we'd return home with the wire basket overflowing with quahogs (hard shell clams).

24 hard shell clams (or more)
scrub and rinse clams - cover with cold fresh water to which you've added 1/2 cup of cornmeal - let sit for several hours - the fresh water and cornmeal will cause the clams to expel any mud and grit.
2 large onions peeled, quartered, and diced
1/2 lb. fat salt pork diced with rind removed
2 large potatoes cut into 1" cubes
1 quart whole milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 pint heavy cream
some fresh dill chopped

Steam the clams on high heat until they open fully, remove them from the pot with tongs (saving the liquid they were steamed in) Remove and dice the clam meats when they are cool enough to handle (do not rinse)

add your potatoes to the pot with the clam broth and fill with water to cover - now fry the salt pork in a skillet till golden brown, then add the onions and cook till translucent.

The last step is to combine all the ingredients in a Dutch oven, and heat slowly on a burner until hot - do not allow to boil - do NOT add cornstarch or flour to thicken - garnish with chopped fresh dill and serve.

Optional (but essential as far as I'm concerned) is to accompany your chowder with Crown Pilot crackers and peanut butter.

The next offering is Bahamian conch salad. You can find this dish in many tropical countries, but it is particularly popular all over the Bahamas where you'll find it in the fanciest restaurants, or sold in a styrofoam coffee cup on the side of the road. This is Sir Clifford's recipe, and is very typical of what you might find. * You'll only find frozen conch here in San Antonio, and will need 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. Gathering and preparing fresh conch is a "trip" in itself. To learn more, click HERE.

4 large conchs cut into ¼” cubes
½ cup ¼” dice celery
½ cup ¼” dice green pepper
½ cup ¼” dice onion
1 cup ¼” dice ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt to taste
hot peppers to taste

Wash the conchs in cold water, cut into cubes, place into a large serving bowl and sprinkle with the salt.
Mix the lime and lemon juices together in a small dish. Crush the hot peppers into the juices; pour over the conch adding the diced vegetables and mix gently.
Taste-test and adjust the seasonings. Spoon into salad cups or place on a bed of lettuce.
Serve with a small dish of lime juice and crushed peppers on the side.

Stone crabs are right up there with my all-time favorite dishes.

Stone Crab (Menippe Mercenaria)
Menippe-Greek, meaning force or courage
Mercinaria-Latin, something of value

Most people have never seen a live stone crab. You'll not find a live one in your local market. In order to assure the continued survival of the species, only one claw may be removed so the crab can defend itself, and they are then returned to the water. Egg bearing females are not allowed to be declawed.The crabs are captured in baited traps. No spears or hooks are allowed. Four inches from the first joint to the tip is the minimum legal size, that's about two ounces. A colossal can weigh 25 ounces or more. Beware: This delicacy can be VERY expensive! The large crusher claw can exert extreme pressure. As much as 19000 lbs. per square inch. Although their massive claws serve as deterrents to most predators, fishermen have reported the stone crab falls prey to the octopus. Stone crabs exhibit carnivorous feeding behavior. Sometimes in traps they resort to cannibalism! The claws make up half the weight of the whole crab, they are removed by carefully grabbing from the rear and twisting. The crab is returned to water and the claw regenerates. It takes between 12 to 24 months to reach legal size again.

Serve cold with a sauce made of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.