New England Clam Chowder

If there’s a better soup to serve on a cold November night, I don’t know what it is. This centuries-old dish was born on the New England coast, where clams are abundant. Like many traditional dishes, it’s named for the vessel it was cooked in, a chaudière, a cauldron-shaped pot that could be suspended above a fire. Its ingredients are, also, true to traditional regional dishes, simple, abundant, and inexpensive: salt pork, potatoes, clams, and milk. I like to serve it with oyster cra