Clams And Chourico Recipes

CLAMS WITH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepot over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, using a spoon or spatula to break up the sausage into small pieces, until the sausage begins to brown. Add the onions and garlic and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the sausage has browned, 3 to 4 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.
• Add the clams to the pot and let settle for a minute, then add the white wine and cilantro. Re-season with salt and pepper and cover tightly with a lid. Let cook about 5 minutes, making sure that the broth at the bottom is at a simmer during that time. After 5 minutes, the clams should have opened or be mostly open; if not, or if the mixture is dry, add another 1/4 cup or so of wine, cover and simmer until the clams are open, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Taste the broth for seasoning and add salt or pepper if necessary. Add the butter to the broth and stir to combine.
• Transfer to a large serving bowl, making sure to pour the broth over the clams. (Remove any unopened clams and discard them.) Serve with crusty bread or baguette.

CLAMS AND CHOURICO

Steps:

• Place clams in a large pot with enough water to cover. Stir in cornmeal. Let stand for about 20 minutes. Rinse clams thoroughly before cooking.
• Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large pot over medium heat. When the garlic is fragrant, add the chourico, onion, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then pour in about 3/4 of the beer. Let simmer for a few more minutes, then add the clam juice, tomatoes, and rinsed clams.
• Cover, and simmer until all clams have opened. Season with oregano, salt and pepper before serving. Drink or discard remaining beer.

STEAMED CLAMS IN WINE AND CHORIZO

Steps:

• Cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, and salt in oil in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in wine and bring to a boil.
• Add clams and chorizo, then boil, covered, until clams open, 7 to 8 minutes. (Discard any clams that are not open after 9 minutes.) Season with pepper and stir in cilantro.

CLAM AND CHOURIçO DRESSING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly toasted; set aside.
• Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Sauté, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until fat has rendered and sausage is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat left in the pan.
• Add garlic, onion, celery, thyme and sage to pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables to bowl with sausage.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan, until foam subsides and butter just begins to brown and smell nutty.
• Add bread cubes, mustard, parsley, brown butter, clams and clam liquor to bowl with sausage and vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer dressing to a baking dish and bake until golden brown and crisp on top, about 15 minutes.

CHORIZO AND CLAMS, PORTUGUESE STYLE

Steps:

• In a large pot or sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Crumble the chorizo into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to firm, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, bay leaf, wine, and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and cook until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is saucy, 5 minutes.
• Add the shellfish to the pan, cover all the way, and cook until the shells open and their meat is slightly firm, about 5 minutes. Discard any shellfish that fail to open, then serve right away.

CLAMS WITH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Scrub the clams, discarding any with cracked or open shells that fail to close when tapped.
• Heat the olive oil in a nonreactive large sautee pan or saucepan. Prick the sausage a few times with a toothpick. Fry the sausage over medium heat until cooked, about five minutes on each side. Transfer the sausage to a cutting board and let it cool, then cut it into thin slices.
• Discard all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until lightly brown, about three minutes. Stir in the sausage, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, pepper and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the clams and tightly cover the pot.
• Cook the clams over high heat until the shells open, about eight minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to give the shells room to open. Ladle the clams and cooking liquid into shallow bowls (discard any that have not opened).

CHORIZO STEAMED CLAMS

Steps:

• Place large pot over medium heat; add olive oil. Stir in diced onion; cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 3 or 4 minutes. Add chorizo; cook and stir to render some fat, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Pour in white wine.
• Raise heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Immediately add clams and distribute evenly. Cover and cook until clams open, about 7 minutes. During this time you can occasionally shake the pot to "stir" the clams using potholders or a kitchen towel to hold the pot handles. It's best not to open the lid and stir.
• When clams have opened, remove pot from heat. Stir in butter and parsley; allow butter to melt. Serve clams in heated bowls with lots of the liquid.

PORTUGUESE-STYLE PORK AND CLAMS WITH CHORIZO AND FRIED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°F.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the pork fat and wait 1 minute. Taste a piece of the pork confit to see if it needs more seasoning. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Place the pork confit in the pan, being careful not to crowd it. (You may need to do this in two pans or two batches.) Sear the pork 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. When the first side is nicely caramelized, turn the pork cubes over, and brown them on all sides. Stir in the fried potatoes, heat them through, and coat them well with the pork fat. Transfer the pan to the oven to keep it warm.
• Heat a Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the olive oil and wait 1 minute. Crumble the chorizo into the pan, and sauté about 4 minutes, until the sausage is crisped on one side but not fully cooked. Add the shallots and thyme, stirring to coat them with the chorizo oil. Add the clams and the roasted tomatoes, stirring for about 2 minutes to combine all the ingredients and coat the clams. Pour in the vermouth and cover the pan. Let the clams steam a few minutes, until they open. Remove the lid and add the stock. Discard any unopened clams. Bring to a simmer, stirring well to combine the flavors, and swirl in the butter. Taste for seasoning. Spoon the clams and chorizo into a large, warm, shallow bowl.
• Meanwhile, take the pork out of the oven and return it to the stove, over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir well, so that it coats the meat and potatoes. After a minute or two, when the garlic is translucent and just starting to color, stir in the parsley. Arrange the pork and potatoes over the clams and chorizo.
• Serve with a large serving spoon and lots of crusty bread. If you are feeling over the top, a bowl of aïoli would really gild the lily (see page 148).
• Fried Potatoes
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Place the potatoes in a roasting pan, and toss well with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and 1 heaping teaspoon salt. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and roast the potatoes about 50 minutes, until they're tender. (The time will really depend on size, age, and variety of potatoes.) When the potatoes have cooled, peel them, discard the bay leaves and thyme, and crumble the potatoes into chunky pieces with your hands.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (To get the potatoes nicely browned and crisp, don't overcrowd them. You may have to use two pans or brown them in batches.) Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and wait 1 more minute. Add the crumbled potatoes, and season with the thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Sauté the potatoes until they are crispy on one side. (Don't try to move them or turn them if they are stuck to the pan; they will eventually release themselves, just be patient.) After about 8 minutes, when they've browned nicely on the first side, stir them to let them color on all sides. Serve immediately, or set aside on a baking sheet.
• Roasted Tomatoes
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise, toss them with the olive oil, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven 30 to 40 minutes, until their skins blister and shrivel. When the tomatoes have cooled, pull off their skins and crush them gently with your hands.
• Note
• This is one of the more involved recipes in this book, but if you plan ahead and prep well, it's actually simple the evening of the dinner. Confit the pork a day or two in advance (remember, it will need to sit in the brine for 2 days before that!). Roast the tomatoes and potatoes in the morning, and then, closer to dinnertime, fry the potatoes and set them aside. The sautéing of the pork and steaming of the clams should be done at the last minute.

CLAMS AND CHORIZO WITH TOMATO AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Cook garlic and chorizo in oil in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, breaking up any large pieces. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat, stirring once, until clams open, 9 to 12 minutes. (Discard any that have not opened after 12 minutes.) Serve immediately.