Sauteed Clams With Chickpea Cream

By á-174942

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil plus
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves smashed
• 1/4 small chile pepper minced
• 3 pounds Littleneck clams cleaned well
• 3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1 lemon zested into thin
• strips, and juiced
• 4 slices toasted country bread for serving

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

In a large saute pan, heat 1/4 cup oil, garlic, and chile pepper over medium-high heat and cook until garlic is lightly brown. Remove garlic from pan. Add clams and cover pan. Cook until clams steam open, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove clams from pan and place in a dish. Add some steaming juices to keep clams warm. Cover. Reserve remaining steaming juice; it should be about 1 cup.

Pour 1 cup reserved juice into blender and add chickpeas. Process until smooth. Season with salt, if necessary, and pepper. Divide puree among 4 shallow bowls. Top with clams and sprinkle with parsley. Combine the lemon zest and remaining olive oil, and drizzle over the top. Serve right away with toasted bread, if desired.

This recipe yields 4 servings.