East Hampton’s chowders are all made from heirloom recipes that go back for centuries. Jeanette says that soup, as it is served there today (she doesn’t mean chowder), also the salads, are imported frills brought in by the summer people, the New York City folks who first invaded the village as a vacation spot back in the 1840s.

The day I had luncheon at the Rattray’s cottage it was Jeanette’s mother who provided the Long Island clam chowder—much thicker than a Manhattan chowder, thick enough to catch with a fork but always served with a spoon and big pilot crackers. Followed a green salad scented with a trio of herbs: thyme, basil, and dill. Hot from the oven came the yeast rolls. Then iced tea and these molasses cookies—each one as big as the palm of your hand.

Clementine Paddleford, How America Eats (1960)

“This chowder tastes best if left standing overnight to be reheated the next day.”

LONG ISLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Yield: 6 whooping bowls

3 slices salt pork
3 large onions
12 potatoes, quartered
3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
½ C diced celery
½ C diced bell pepper
Water
20 oz (2½ C) stewed tomatoes
Salt, pepper, to taste
2 quarts hard-shelled clams, shucked, run through a grinder, juice strained off and reserved

Fry out salt pork in a large kettle, then remove slices, diced, and return to pot. Add onions and fry until golden. Add potatoes, parsley, celery, and bell pepper with water to cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add tomatoes, cook 10 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. “There should be 2 quarts of liquid remaining.” Add reserved juice from clams, bring to a boil, add ground clams, and simmer 30 minutes.