The best bowl in Boston: New England clam chowder

Serves 6 · 1 hr 30 min · Medium

Roast the shells hard. That is where all the color and flavor comes from.

You need

• 2 live lobsters (about 1 1/4 lb / 570 g each)
• 3 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) brandy, 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
• 1 quart (950 ml) fish or chicken stock, 2 sprigs tarragon, 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup (50 g) white rice
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• Salt, cayenne, a squeeze of lemon

How to make it

1. Boil the lobsters 6 minutes, plunge into ice water, and pick the meat from the tails and claws; chop and chill. Break the shells into pieces.
2. In a big pot, fry the shells in the butter and oil 8 minutes, pressing, until red and fragrant. Add the vegetables and garlic for 5 minutes, then the tomato paste for 2.
3. Add the brandy and wine and let it bubble off. Add the stock, herbs and rice and simmer 40 minutes.
4. Remove the bay and tarragon, blend everything (shells included) in batches, then press through a fine sieve.
5. Return to the pot, add the cream, season with salt, cayenne and lemon, and warm the lobster meat in it for 2 minutes.

Chef's tips

• The rice thickens it naturally; no flour needed.

Contains: shellfish, milk, sulfites.

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 4 hr 30 min

A clear, fragrant beef broth simmered for hours with charred onion, ginger and warm spices, poured over rice noodles and paper-thin raw beef. Inspired by the beef noodle soup at Le Colonial in Houston.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef oxtail, cut in sections
• 2 lb (900 g) beef marrow or knuckle bones
• 2 medium yellow onions (about 1 lb), halved and left unpeeled
• 4-inch piece fresh ginger (about 3 oz), halved lengthwise
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 5 quarts (4.7 liters) cold water, plus more for parboiling
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 lb (450 g) dried flat rice noodles (banh pho)
• 8 oz (225 g) beef tenderloin, trimmed and sliced paper thin
• 1 small white onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• Hoisin sauce and sriracha for the table (3 tablespoons each)

How to make it

1. Put the oxtail and bones in the stockpot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes while gray scum rises, then drain and rinse every piece under cold water. Scrub out the pot.
2. Heat the broiler with a rack 4 inches from the element. Broil the onion halves and ginger on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, turning once, until blackened in spots and soft. Cool, peel off the loose skin, and rinse.
3. Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and fennel in the dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Tie them into cheesecloth.
4. Return the bones to the clean pot with the 5 quarts cold water, charred onion, ginger and the spice bundle. Bring to a boil over high heat, about 20 minutes, skimming off foam.
5. Reduce the heat to low so the surface barely trembles. Simmer partly covered for 3 hours, skimming now and then, and lift out the spice bundle after the first hour so it does not turn bitter.
6. Lift the oxtail onto a plate. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in large pieces and set aside, returning the bones to the pot.
7. Strain the broth through the fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing lightly. Skim fat from the top with a ladle, then stir in the fish sauce, salt and sugar and taste, adding fish sauce until savory with a slight sweetness. Keep at a bare simmer.
8. About 40 minutes before serving, wrap the beef tenderloin and freeze it for 20 minutes to firm it up. Soak the dried noodles in warm tap water for 30 minutes, until pliable and white.
9. Slice the chilled beef against the grain as thin as paper. Arrange the sliced onion, scallions, sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapeno and lime wedges on a platter.
10. Boil a large pot of water and cook the soaked noodles for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still springy. Drain and divide among 6 large bowls, then lay the shredded oxtail and raw beef slices on top.
11. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, then ladle at least 1 1/2 cups over each bowl; the heat cooks the raw beef to a blush pink within a minute. Serve with the garnish platter, hoisin and sriracha.

Pans and tools

• 12-quart stockpot
• rimmed baking sheet
• dry skillet
• fine-mesh strainer
• cheesecloth or tea ball for spices
• large pot for noodles
• sharp slicing knife
• instant-read thermometer

Chef's tips

• Common mistake: boiling the broth hard, which turns it cloudy. Keep it at a bare simmer and skim.
• Make-ahead: the broth keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. The fat that hardens on top is easy to lift off.
• Reheat the broth to a full boil before serving or the raw beef will not cook.
• Swap: use beef shank or short rib for part of the oxtail, and gluten-free tamari-free hoisin is optional at the table.

Contains: fish, soy, wheat.

From The Best 100: our home version, inspired by Le Colonial, Houston. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 4 · 45 min · Easy

In Sapporo they stir-fry the pork, garlic and vegetables in a wok, then pour the broth into the same wok.

You need

• Miso paste: 1/3 cup (90 g) red miso, 2 tbsp white miso, 1 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp soy, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp chile bean paste (doubanjiang), 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 tsp sesame oil
• 8 oz (225 g) ground pork
• 2 cups (200 g) bean sprouts, 1 cup (150 g) shredded cabbage
• 1 1/2 quarts (1.4 l) chicken stock
• 4 portions curly ramen noodles
• Toppings: corn, butter, scallions, soft-boiled eggs, nori

How to make it

1. Mix the miso paste ingredients.
2. Heat the oils in a wok and stir-fry the pork 3 minutes until browned. Add the sprouts and cabbage for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the miso paste for 30 seconds, then the stock. Bring to a simmer (don't boil hard once the miso is in).
4. Cook the noodles, drain and divide between bowls. Pour over the broth and vegetables and top with corn, a knob of butter, scallions and egg.

Chef's tips

• For tan tan, add 2 tbsp chile oil and a little more sesame paste.

Contains: soy, sesame, wheat, egg, milk.

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 50 min · Easy

The greens must be cut as thin as you can manage, almost threads; roll the leaves up like a cigar and slice. They cook in two minutes and stay bright.

You need

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) Portuguese extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 lb (900 g) floury potatoes (russets), peeled and cut into chunks
• 8 cups (1.9 l) water
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 bunch (about 8 oz / 225 g) collard greens or Portuguese couve galega, stems removed
• 4 oz (115 g) Portuguese chouriço or dry Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced
• Broa (cornbread) or crusty bread, to serve

How to make it

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 8 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
2. Add the potatoes, water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart when pressed.
3. Meanwhile, stack the greens, roll them tightly and slice as thinly as possible, 1/16 inch (2 mm). Rinse and drain.
4. Puree the soup until completely smooth with an immersion blender. It should be like thin cream; add hot water if it's thicker.
5. Bring back to a simmer, add the greens and cook 2 to 3 minutes, just until tender and bright green.
6. Meanwhile, fry the chouriço slices in a dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes a side, until the edges crisp.
7. Ladle into bowls, put two or three slices of chouriço on top with their red oil, and finish with a thread of olive oil. Serve with broa.

Pans and tools

• 6-quart pot
• immersion blender
• sharp chef's knife

Chef's tips

• Kale works if you can't find collards; slice it just as thin.
• In Porto it's eaten at midnight at festivals too, from clay bowls.

Our recipe, the same one we give for caldo verde in Porto. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.