Seafood Chowder

5 red potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
*1 large can (15 oz) clams, reserve juice to measure 1 c. (add water if it doesn't) (optional)
1 Tbsp. butter
29 oz. chicken broth (add an additional cup if you don't add water/clam juice above)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. flour
2 c. half-and-half
2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 pound fresh bay scallops
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1/2-1 tsp. grated nutmeg
Snipped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a large dutch oven, add onion and cook until tender. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, bell pepper, reserved clam juice, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes until potatoes are tender, but not mushy.

Whisk half-and-half and flour until smooth. Gradually add to the broth and whisk until smooth.

Add clams (if using), scallops and shrimp to the chowder and bring to a boil, then turn down to low simmer so half and half doesn't curdle. Cook until shrimp is pink, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick to bottom of the pan. The chowder should be getting thick and the veggies should be tender. Add sherry and stir. Cover until ready to stir, removing from heat to avoid burning.

When ready to serve, sprinkle nutmeg on top and garnish with fresh parsley. Goes well with hot crescent rolls or warm crusty bread.

*Feel free to substitute crab or lobster (or both) for the clams. Clams make the soup turn "gray" and is not appetizing, so I've stopped adding clams and clam juice for this reason.