THIS AND THAT AND SHELLFISH

IT'S THE END of summer so please forgive me if I've been an absentee blogger. I've been here and there as well as attending the Christening of my great-niece - Siena is her name and she's gorgeous! Not only that, but guess who the godfather is? I tried to channel Al Pacino, but I had no one to murder, although I could think of a few people I'd certainly consider. But then, couldn't we all?

So, to begin, the one night that I did cook something worth writing about was one of those extremely muggy New York days and, even though I tried my best, my Pavlova wasn't the grand creation I had hoped for. But where there is failure, surely among the courses, there can be a success or two. And so it went: 

Mussels and Clams poached in white wine and tomato, served tepid alla Veneziana with home made toasts with herbed butter and then Cold Boiled Lobsters with Lime Juice and Sliced Tomatoes. 

Cozze e Vongole al Pomodoro

1 doz. clams (size is up to you)

1 doz. mussels (I prefer the very small, black mussels since this dish was really served as an antipasto)

Soak the clams and the mussels in cold salted water. Remove any hair or "beard" from the mussels and continue to soak for about an hour. 

In a large oval pan place the shellfish and 1 cup water with a dash of lemon juice and salt and pepper over moderately high heat. Cover the pan and let the clams steam until they are all opened. Place on a plate, cover with foil and reserve. Take the cooking liquid and strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Reserve the shellfish stock.

3 tbs. EVOO

3 tbs. unsalted butter

1 shallot, chopped 

3-5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a wide chef's knife or cleaver

Shellfish stock

1 cup dry white wine (Pino Grigio works well here)

Juice of 1 lemon plus the rinds

1 tsp. fresh chopped tarragon 

1 tsp. fresh chopped thyme

12 leaves fresh basil (chiffonade)

Small pinch of saffron dissolved in olive oil

6 plum tomatoes (skins and seeds removed and then chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Soak the saffron in 1 tsp. EVOO and reserve for later. In a large oval pan, saute the shallot and the garlic until transparent. Add the wine, the stock and the lemon juice and cook for about a minute until every thing bubbles and thickens. Add half the butter and swirl around the pan and then add the rinds of the lemon and cook for a few minutes. Add the tarragon and the thyme.

Let the wine reduce a bit, remove the lemon halves, and then add the tomatoes, the saffron mixture and the basil (you can at this point add the red pepper flakes if you like, but don't over do it). Stir to combine and bring to a violent boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for about 12 minutes. Turn up the heat and cook the tomatoes until they gradually become a thick mass. Correct seasoning, if necessary. 

Remove the top shell from each of the mussels and clams. Put the mussels and clams back into the oval pan but cover each one with a enough tomato to cover. By the time you have covered each of the shells, you shouldn't have much, if any, tomato sauce left. Cover again with foil and let rest.

Serve the shellfish with the toast and use the toast to wipe the juices and leftover tomato out the pan.

Toasted bread with seasoned butter

For the butter take:

1/4 cup spinach*

1/4 cup arugula

1/4 cup basil

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 tsp. fresh tarragon

6 cloves garlic smashed (or more depending how much you like garlic)

1 shallot chopped

5 filets of anchovy

2 tbs. capers

2 tbs. India Pickle Relish (or chopped pickles)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 stick of butter cut into pieces and softened

1/2 cup EVOO

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop all the greens and place into an electric blender. Blend until extremely fine. Add all of the ingredients except the butter and the olive oil and blend until you get a deep green paste. Add the butter and little by little, pour the olive oil into the blender while machine is running. Add the vinegar and continue to blend. You should have a smooth, light green paste. Taste for seasoning and then place in a storage container and refrigerate for 24 hours. This makes quite a lot of herbed butter. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge and a few months if frozen.

Take any kind of stale bread and cut into half slices. Cover one side of the slice with the herbed butter and place the slices, unbuttered side down, into a hot cast iron frying pan with olive oil. Once the bread is browned, turn the slices over so the buttered side browns evenly in the pan. Press down with a spatula so the bread doesn't curl while toasting. Continue until all the bread is used up and let rest for about an hour to let them dry out a bit more or let them dry in the open air overnight (best!).

Serve the shellfish semi-hot or tepid with the bread slices. If you like garlic as I do, you can eat the cloves with the bread as well. Totally delicious!

Buon Appetito!

*All greens should be thoroughly washed and drained in a colander before blending.