Yes, we're still cooking over here :) Doing a lot of other stuff too, but we're always cooking !
One of the "other stuff" things we did recently was to check out the Tall Ships in Boston, which was very cool (would have been even cooler to see them under sail, but even sitting in the harbor they are pretty damn impressive).
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| boats ! |
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| here's the Barking Crab version |
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| Happy as a clam...in beer ! |
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| ready to stuff |
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| waiting for foil |
The stuffies were absolutely delicious, but the recipe actually needs a tiny bit more tweaking (basically less chorizo and a drier stuffing), and we are definitely looking forward to perfecting this one in the very near future. In the meantime, I'm going to give what we think the final recipe will be...if it changes, we'll be sure to let you know !
Stuffies
Heavily adapted from Emeril Lagasse
8 large quahog or chowder clams
1 beer (12 oz), whatever you have around1 – 2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3 tsp minced garlic, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces chopped chorizo sausage
1/2 cup minced onions
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced peppers – green, red, or a little of both
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning, or more to taste
1 cup dried bread crumbs, made from Portuguese sweet bread if possible *
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/4 cup reserved steaming liquid
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pour beer into a large pot that will hold the clams in a
single layer if possible. Add the thyme and 2 tsp of the garlic, and bring to a
boil. Add the clams to the pot, cover,
and steam for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the shells open. Discard any shells
that do not open. Remove the clams from the pot and place on a parchment-lined
sheet pan. When the clams are cool enough to handle, gently pry the shells
apart enough to remove the clam, leaving the hinge attached. Loosen the muscle
in the lower shell and remove the clam from the shell. Set aside the 6 nicest
shells. Finely chop the clam meat and
set aside.
While the clams are steaming, in a mixing bowl stir the
butter, remaining garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley together. Refrigerate
while you finish the clams and stuffing.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo
and cook until rendered, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, celery and peppers.
Season with Old Bay and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic, the
breadcrumbs, and reserved clam meat and remove from the heat. Stir in the
reserved cooking liquid and the rest of the parsley. Add more Old Bay if needed and
cool slightly.
Pack the stuffing mixture into one side of each shell.
Using your hands, pat the stuffing firmly into each clam shell. . Place about a tablespoon of the garlic
butter on top of each stuffing mixture, then top each evenly with the cheese. Close the shells as tightly as possible and
wrap with aluminum foil.
Preheat the oven or grill to 400 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Unwrap the clams and
serve hot.
*Portuguese Sweet Bread is pretty easy to find in New
England – if your market sells rolls individually it’s really easy to just buy
one or two rolls. To make dry bread crumbs, toast slices of the bread or rolls
in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until nice and dry, then grind them up
in your food processor. If you don’t have
easy access to sweet bread (or really don’t feel like making your own bread
crumbs), just use regular bread or plain bread crumbs. Your stuffies will still rock !
