Peter Lo Cascios Baked Clams Recipes

PETER LO CASCIO'S BAKED CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place clams in a 4-quart pot and add 1 cup white wine or water; cover and cook over medium-high heat until clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool.
• Meanwhile, rinse spinach with cold water; shake to remove excess water but do not pat dry. Place spinach in a medium saucepan; cover and cook over medium heat until spinach is wilted, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, stir, and cover again; continue cooking 2 minutes more. Drain and let cool slightly. Squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture; chop and set aside.
• Remove clams from shells, reserving shells and discarding any clams that remain unopened. Finely chop clams; you should have about 1 1/2 cups. Set aside. Line a fine mesh sieve with cheesecloth and set over a medium bowl; strain clam cooking liquid into bowl and set aside 1/2 cup. Reserve any remaining liquid for another use.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and celery; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add remaining 3 tablespoons wine and bring to a simmer; cook until liquid is almost evaporated. Add reserved spinach and clams; stir to combine.
• Cut remaining 8 tablespoons butter into pieces and add to skillet along with parsley, tarragon, chives, breadcrumbs, reserved clam juice, and anise. Add egg yolk and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Fill reserved clam shells with clam mixture; transfer shells to a baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until filling is hot, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

BAKED CLAMS WITH PROSCIUTTO BITS AND BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring. The prosciutto will give off steam for about 5 minutes while it releases its moisture. When the hiss of steam turns to a sizzle, turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 30 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bits to several thickness of paper towel to drain. The bits will crisp even more as they cool. Set aside.
• For the clams: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat. Add the sliced garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add the clams and mix to combine. Add the wine and season with black pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes, removing them to a baking sheet with a slotted spoon as they open. Discard any that fail to open. Strain the clam juices through a cheesecloth lined sieve and reserve.
• For the stuffing: Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add the chopped garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add the bread crumbs, reserved prosciutto, cheese, parsley and 1/4 of the reserved clam juices. Saute until the crumbs are lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Assembly: Separate each shell into 2 halves, discarding the half that does not contain the clam. Loosen the clam from the shell. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the stuffing into each clam.
• Set the clams on a baking sheet and bake until hot throughout, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI WITH OVEN BAKED CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, scrub the clams with a stiff brush under cold running water and discard any that are open. Put a medium roasting pan over 2 burners. Add the olive oil, garlic, pancetta, chiles, and herbs and cook until the pancetta renders, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the clams, the wine, tomatoes, and a good amount of pepper and toss that all together. Transfer pan to oven and roast until the clams open, about 10 minutes. While the clams are cooking, drop the pasta into the water for 7 to 8 minutes. Drain. Dump the drained pasta into a serving bowl, and toss with clams. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

BAKED CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place clams in a bucket of cold water with cornmeal and salt. Set aside.
• Place bread crumbs, Parmesan, lemon juice, zest, garlic, pesto, parsley, and olive oil in a bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together with half of the clarified butter. Mix together until moist but not too wet. Use additional butter only if needed.
• Open each clam and place mixture on top. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

CALICO CLAMS CASINO

Steps:

• Drain clams, reserving 2 tablespoons juice. In a large bowl, combine the clams and remaining ingredients; stir in the reserved clam juice. Spoon into greased 6-oz. custard cups or clamshell dishes; place on baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.

BAKED CLAMS

Steps:

• Wash the clams very well. Put them, the clam juice, water and vermouth in a big pot with a cover. Cook them over very high heat, bringing them to a boil, until they are just cooked, removing them one by one, or by the few, to a roasting pan or other flat tray, with tongs or a hand-held sieve, the instant they pop open.
• Once they've cooled, remove the clams from the shells. Divide top and bottom shells. Wash as many as you plan to serve, and leave them to dry. Add any liquid left with the clams to the liquid in the clam pot.
• Sauté the cup of garlic, leeks, celery and fennel in 3 tablespoons of butter, adding only the tiniest, barest bit of salt to help the vegetables release their liquid. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until leeks are tender and taste good. Through a fine strainer, add all the liquid in the clam pot. Bring to a boil, and cook down until only about 1 cup of liquid remains. Add the heavy cream. Taste for salt. Add the chopped leaves and chervil and the clams, either whole or roughly chopped.
• Divide the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 24 small squares. If it seems difficult, use more butter. No precision needed. Fill each half clamshell very full with the clam mixture - with either 1 clam per shell, if left whole, or a spoonful, if chopped. Top each half with a sprinkle of bread crumbs and a tiny square of butter.
• Put in a single layer, in 1 or 2 large roasting or baking pans, under the broiler at its highest setting, quite close to the broiler. Serve hot.

CHOPPED BAKED CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in heated oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, making sure not to brown the garlic. Stir in the clams, thyme, and oregano. Remove from heat and stir in the beaten egg. Once combined, mix in breadcrumbs and spoon mixture into 4 ramekins; arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle butter over each ramekin.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.