Clams in a Cataplana-Ameijoas na Cataplana

By amaliana

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces chourico, linguica, or dry-cured smoked Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• One 1/4-inch-thick slice presunto, serrano ham, or prosciutto, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut lengthwise in half and sliced into thin half-moons
• 1 Turkish bay leaf
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• one 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes,preferably San Marzano, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 4 pounds small clams, such as cockles, manila, butter, or littlenecks, scrubbed and rinsed
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat the oil in a large cataplana or a pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Dump in the chourico and presunto and cook, stirring occasionally, until touched with brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Lower the heat to medium, drop in the onions and bay leaf, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the tomatoes and any accumulated juice, the wine, and paprika. Discard any clams that feel heavy(which means they're full of sand), have broken shells, or don't close when tapped. Plonk the clams into the pot and turn the heat to high. If using a cataplana, lock it and cook for 6 minutes on one side, then flip carefully to minimize spilling the cooking liquid, and cook until the clams open, 4 to 6 minutes more. If using a pot, cook, covered, until the clams pop open, 7 to 12 minutes.

3. Carry the cataplana triumphantly to the table, making sure everyone's watching, then release the lid. Bask in the applause. Discard the bay leaf and toss out any clams that refuse to pop open. Season with a few grinds of pepper, shower with parsley, and ladle the stew into wide shallow bowls. Oh, and have a big bowl on hand for the shells.