Oyster Chowder
From The New York Times Cookbook
4 to 6 servings

2 medium potatoes, diced
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 quart milk
1 tablespoon chopped onions

 2 T. flour
6 T. butter
1 pint shucked oysters with liquor
2 T. chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan, boil the potatoes, carrot and celery in a small amount of boiling salted water until tender. Drain. Add the milk, onions, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

2. Cream the flour with 2 tablespoons of the butter and gradually add to the boiling mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened.

3. Cook the oysters with their liquid in the remaining butter until the edges curl. Add to the soup and serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.

Tana's variation: I used oysters from a jar—great, big, huge ones that are already cooked. I chopped them into big chunks and added them directly to the soup with the butter, foregoing the third step completely.