THIS A VARIATION on a classic dish that you see in restaurants all the time. Fresh thyme is an essential ingredient, and if you don’t have pancetta, good slab bacon is fine.
2 dozen steamer clams, scrubbed
2-3 oz pancetta, or 2 thick slices of quality bacon, diced
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp butter
thyme sprigs for garnish
Using a heavy pot, saute the pancetta in butter over medium heat until crisp on the edges. Stir in shallot, then garlic a minute later. Cook another minute or two until softened before de-glazing with wine. Stir in cream and herbs and raise heat to medium-high. Add clams and cover, cooking until they open, several minutes. Eat with good bread for sopping up the ambrosial liquid. Serves 2 as an appetizer.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate… just about anything! Freshly harvested clams make this Midwestern girl swoon!
Fin, my good man – Let us begin this first day of the rest of our lives with congratulations to the American people for their collective insight and intelligence (something I had feared lost!), and much hope for the promise of tomorrow.
Hey, I’ll trade you some Coos Bay cockles for some Hood Canal littlenecks.
doc
Doc – You anticipated my next post…
Lo – I once swooned into a bowl of clams in Dublin, but that had more to do with previous Guinness intake!
Dude, just 1 dozen clams per person? These be tight times, methinks…
😉
When it comes to clams, I tend toward eating them by the score; I think I may have hit the 100-mark once or twice. Ain’t gluttony grand?
Hank, this is the Age of the Hairshirt. Anyway, it says serves 2 *as an appetizer*–but I hear you. The little buggers go down easy once you get rolling… On the other hand, the cream and bread sopping conspire to slow down even a true glutton, so be warned.
wonderful stuff – love littlenecks, and this is a great recipe for them.
Really enjoying your blog!