Clams – Grow. Cook. Eat.

August 31, 2011

Fish at the Farmers’ Market

I love shopping at farmers’ markets, but it always seems that I need to supplement my weekly grocery run with a trip to Whole Foods. But now that the Union Square Farmers’ market has a fish vendor (along with the de riguer produce, as well as cheese, chocolate, bread and meat), My meals have become more diverse and I don’t have to make a second shopping stop.

Roasted Clams with Smoked Tomatoes, Corn and Grilled Bread
2 ears corn, shucked
4 slices of crusty bread brushed with olive oil
1 cup apple wood chips, soaked in water
3 tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 dozen Wellfleet or other littleneck clams
1/4 cup white wine

1.    Light a charcoal fire in the grill. When the fire is hot, grill the corn until it starts to char. Remove from heat and set aside. Grill bread slices for about 30 seconds on each side, until toasted.
2.    When fire on the grill starts to wane, drain the wood chips, and throw onto smoldering embers. Replace the grilling grate, put the tomatoes on the grill, and cover. Close the vents on the top of the grill lid. Let tomatoes smoke for at least 20 minutes.
3.    Cut corn kernels off the cob.
4.    In a large skillet, over medium – high heat, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and cook until they're soft, about 5 minutes.
5.    Add clams and toss in butter/onion mix until well coated and the clam shells begin to roast
6.    Add smoked tomatoes, corn and white wine. Cover pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until all the clams have opened.
7.    Serve clams with grilled bread for soaking up all the yummy juices.

From the farmers’ market: corn, bread, tomatoes, onions, garlic, clams

January 6, 2011

Money, Money, Money

I’m not superstitious. But as I look to grow my business, I’ll explore every tool possible – from a sound marketing plan to feng shui to the foods I eat.

According to the tenets of Feng Shui, the southeast corner represents wealth. The jade plant with its flat, round leaves that resemble coins, symbolizes prosperity. Placing a jade plant in the southeast corner of your office is the ultimate way to attract wealth.

For food, cooked greens resemble folded money, spring rolls gold bars and clams look like coins. As we turn the corner to a new year, now seems the ideal time to incorporate some of these wealth generating foods into my diet.

Happy New Year! I hope it’s filled with prosperity, health, good fortune and joy.

From the garden: tomatoes

Clams with Red Chili Sauce
(Adapted from The Chinese Kitchen )

4 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
1 tbs. soy sauce
½ tsp. rice vinegar
2 tbs. Shao-Xing Wine
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar

2 dozen little neck clams
¼ cup shao-xing wine
1 tbs. plain oil
1 ½ tsp. chopped ginger
1 ½ tsp. chopped garlic
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 – 10 oz. can tomatoes
1/8 tsp. salt
3 scallions – cut into rounds

1.    In a bowl combine ingredients for sauce: chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, salt and sugar.
2.    Wash clams thoroughly. Put in a pot with ¼ cup of shao-xing wine. Cover and cook over high heat until the clams start to open. Remove them from the pan as they open as to not overcook them. Reserve the clams and discard the cooking liquid. The clams may give off more juice – save that to add to the sauce.
3.    In a skillet or sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute or until they soften. Add tomatoes and salt and cook for 5 minutes more.
4.    Toss the clams (and any juice that may have accumulated) into sauce and sprinkle with scallions.
Serve immediately.

September 14, 2009

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Deliciousness (Recipe: Roasted Wellfleet Clams with Smoked Tomatoes)

How do you smoke a turkey? From the butt-end…. ba-da-bum!
(Thanks goodness I have a day job!)

When I preserve tomatoes for the winter, I stew a case for all-purpose cooking, and smoke a case for a more jazzy supply. The smoked tomatoes add depth to so many of my favorite dishes, including — Beef Stew, Chicken Enchiladas, Ricotta Ravioli with Tomato Sauce.

I don't have a proper smoker, but I use my Weber Charcoal Grill. While the fire is blazing in the grill, I soak 2 cups of apple wood chips in water or wine. Just as the fire starts to wind down, I drain the wood chips, and toss them on the smoldering charcoal. I replace the cooking grate, and fill it with tomatoes (and as I did the other night — also jalapenos and chicken). I'm careful to place the food away from the direct heat. I don't want the food to cook too quickly. And, should there be a flare-up, I don't want the food to burn. I cover the grill, leaving the vents just cracked open… and walk away for at least 30 minutes.

With the smoked tomatoes, I make another summer-time favorite, enjoying the last few sparkles of the warm weather….
Roasted Wellfleet Clams with Smoked Tomatoes and Grilled Bread
2 tablespoons butter
1 onions sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 dozen Wellfleet or other littleneck clams
3 smoked tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
4 slices of crusty bread for grilling

1. In a large skillet, over medium – high heat, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and cook until they're soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add clams and toss in butter/onion mix until well coated and the clam shells begin to roast
3. Add tomatoes and white wine. Cover pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until all the clams have opened.
4. Toast or grill bread
5. Serve clams with grilled bread for soaking up all the yummy juices.

Optional: Serve with grilled corn and/or chicken.

July 28, 2008

Raising Clams

Have you ever seen a clam mate? Me neither. But when I was in Wellfleet this week, a town in Cape Cod renowned for its clams, I spotted a poster that explained the process. The male clams spit out sperm, and the female spew eggs. The eggs fertilize in the sway of the current and plant themselves in the sand. In about 3 years they grow to about 2 inches in diameter. In the warm, briny waters of Wellfleet Harbor, they develop a sweet, salty flavor.

The clam “farmers” take a more systematic approach to raising clams. They buy clam “seeds” by the millions. The seeds are smaller than a pinky nail. So they don’t get lost at sea, they are caged in a mesh box.

At low tide, the boxes are laid out on the sandy, harbor floor. At high tide, they are submerged. Same view of Pat's Clam bed — on the left at high tide, or the right at low tide.

After a year, they are large enough to be transferred to the larger sand beds.

At low tide, the shores of Wellfleet harbor are dotted with trucks and clam farmers. In addition to raking up a daily yield to sell to local restaurants and fish markets, they are managing their beds. When beds are emptied of mature clams, they are raked clean of stray shells. Young clams are ready to be set. The rows are strategically lined so that they can drive their trucks between them and efficiently transfer the daily catch.

Pat Woodbury’s beds are on the east side of the harbor. Though most Wellfleet natives aren’t familiar with him, he’s famous in Boston for supplying the James Beard Award Winning restaurants: Summer Shack, Rialto and East Coast Grill, as well as many others.

On the north side is Michael (whose last name escapes me). He supplies his mom’s restaurant, The Bookstore and Restaurant, in the center of town. At lunch, you can order his clams just hours after they were plucked from the waters.

Michael also let me dig some clams to cook at home. I prepared the classic…

Italian Pasta with Clams, White Wine and Garlic

4 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
3 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
2 dozen Wellfleet clams, washed.
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp. dried hot chili flakes (optional)
2 tbs. brandy
1 lb. linguine or fusilli
1 tbs. grated parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. In a separate skillet, heat 3 tbs. olive oil with garlic and chili flakes, cook for about 2 mintues or until garlic starts to lightly brown. Add the clams, and toss to coat in garlic. Cook, covered for 2 minutes.

3. Add wine and brandy to the clams, and cook, uncovered until the clams begin to open. Add half the parsley.

4. Toss pasta with clams and add the remaining olive oil and cheese. Garnish with remaining parsley.