Clams Casino

By á-30

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 dozen littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed clean
• 6 ounces pancetta, thickly sliced and cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley salt and pepper to taste
• coarse rock salt, for baking and serving
• 1 lemon, halved
• Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/clamscasino0907#ixzz0T7XZByl7

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Over low heat, place wine and half the clams in a six-quart sauce pot (with tightly fitting lid) and steam until shells open, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove cooked clams from shells, roughly chop, and reserve. Discard shells. Strain and save accumulated cooking liquid.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, cook pancetta until browned but not quite crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and reserve, leaving fat. Add red pepper, garlic, and scallions to pan and sauté until barely softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Return 1 cup clam-cooking liquid to sautéed-vegetable mixture and reduce by half over medium heat. Add chopped parsley and reserved chopped clams and heat through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/clamscasino0907#ixzz0T7XeqzK6