Recipe
The best clams for this recipe are the small kind, such as cherrystones or even littlenecks. If all you can find are the big ones, simply cut them after they are cooked. Prepare the clams by scrubbing them in bowls of cold water until there's no sand in the bottom of the bowl afterward. You don't want sand in your stew.
Clams are delicious no matter how you eat them. But when they are steamed, they generate a swell little bonus: a succulent broth. This makes your job easy.
A steamed clam has finished cooking when the shell opens, so it is important to remove each one from the pot as soon as it opens up. If you leave the early birds alone until the rest of the gang are done, they will end up chewy as a rubber band. Also, when you shuck the cooked clams, be sure to save the liquid from the shells and return it, along with the clams themselves, to the pot of broth.
This stew is meant to be served over grilled bread, but feel free to use rice or another grain or roasted potatoes instead. You need something to sop up all that yummy juice. And if you don't have a grill pan, just toast the bread and then brush it with olive oil.
Finally, if there are cilantro haters in your house, swap in parsley or basil. By the way, you can make this stew a day or two in advance, then gently reheat it. Add the cilantro (or parsley or basil) just before serving.
Moulton is the host of "Sara's Weeknight Meals," a public television show now in its seventh season. She writes a weekly column for the Associated Press and is the author of four cookbooks, including, most recently, "Sara Moulton's Home Cooking 101: How to Make Everything Taste Better."
Clam and Chorizo Stew With Grilled Bread
6 servings
The best clams for this recipe are the small kind, such as cherrystones or even littlenecks. If all you can find are the big ones, simply cut them after they are cooked. Prepare the clams by scrubbing them in bowls of cold water until there's no sand in the bottom of the bowl afterward. You don't want sand in your stew.
Serve with a side dish of roasted cauliflower, roasted red pepper and walnuts.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the bread
4 ounces Spanish chorizo (cured, not fresh), halved lengthwise and sliced into thin half moons
1 cup finely chopped onion (from 1 medium onion)
2 cups finely chopped fresh fennel (from 2 medium bulbs)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 dozen small clams, scrubbed well (see headnote)
12 slices rustic country bread
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, for garnish (may substitute parsley or basil)
Method:
Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chorizo and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the chorizo has turned a shade darker. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pieces to a bowl.
Stir the onion and fennel into the pot, coating it with the chorizo-flavored oil. Increase the heat to medium; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened, then add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the crushed tomatoes and wine. Return the chorizo to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high; once the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat to high; add the clams, cover tightly and cook, removing the clams as they open to a large bowl. Let the clams cool until they can be handled.
While the clams are steaming, brush both sides of the bread with oil. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and, working in batches, add the bread. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes total, until light grill marks have formed on both sides. Put a pair of grilled slices in each individual serving bowl.
Discard the shells from the cooled clams and add the clams to the pot as you go, along with any juices from the shells. Cook just long enough for the clams to warm through.
Ladle clams and tomato broth over each portion of bread. Sprinkle liberally with cilantro and serve right away.
NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS Per serving: 380 calories, 19 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 1220 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar