Instructions: Drain clams, reserving juices. Saute salt pork in heavy large pot over medium heat until golden, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to paper towels.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Add onion to pot; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually mix in water and clam juices. Bring to boil, stirring often. Add potatoes, thyme and bay leaf.

Reduce heat; cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill chowder, clams and salt pork separately. Bring chowder to simmer before continuing.)

Add milk to chowder and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Add scallops and reserved clams and simmer until scallops are opaque, about 2 minutes. Season with white pepper and salt. Ladle chowder into bowls. Garnish with salt pork.

This recipe yields 10 servings.

Comments: The early Yankees often cooked local shellfish in milk-based chowders with potatoes. True to their English heritage, the colonists planted kitchen gardens with as many herbs as they could cultivate, which they put into all kinds of dishes, including chowders.

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