Recipe - Clams With Quinoa

24 Littleneck clams
3 cup Shucked cherrystone clams;
with their liquor
4 cup Clam juice or water; as
needed
Three fourths cup Quinoa
3 tablespoon Olive oil
1 Onion; finely chopped
4 Cloves garlic; finely
chopped
2 Jalapeno chiles; seeded and
finely chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 tablespoon Ground cumin
One fourth teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Tomato paste
8 small Red rose potatoes; quartered
I cup white wine
2 Cloves garlic; slivered
1 teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1 Red bell pepper; stemmed,
seeded, and cut into fine
julienne
One half bn Cilantro; leaves only,
finely chopped

TOO HOT TAMALES SHOW #TH 6219

Wash and vigorously scrub the littlenecks under cold running water. Place
them on a tray, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside until ready to
serve.

Finely chop the shucked cherrystones and set them aside, refrigerate. Pour
the clam liquor through a strainer lined with a double thickness of
dampened cheesecloth. Add enough additional clam juice or water to make the
liquid up to 5 One half cups. Set aside, refrigerate.

Place the quinoa in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover by about 2
inches. Let soak for 5 minutes, then massage the grain between the palms of
your hands for a moment. Strain through a fine strainer, rinse with cold
running water, and repeat the soaking and rubbing process. Set the quinoa
aside to drain.

In a large casserole with a cover, preferably earthenware, heat the olive
oil over mediumlow heat. Add the onion and saute until it is totally
translucent but not browned, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium
and add the garlic, chiles, bay leaf, cumin, and pepper. Stir over the heat
for 2 minutes more, or until the aroma of the garlic is released. Add the
tomato paste, chopped clams, and potatoes and stir together to mix. Pour in
4 One half cups of the reserved clam juice, bring up to a simmer and cook for 10
minutes. Stir in the quinoa and cook for 25 minutes more, stirring
occasionally.

While the quinoa is cooking, in another large saucepan reduce the white
wine by half over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt, pepper flakes,
julienned red pepper, and the remaining One half cup clam juice and cook for 5
minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the littlenecks, cover the pan and
reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the clams
have barely opened, gently stirring the mixture once during the cooking
time. Mound the quinoa mixture onto a large platter and spoon the
littlenecks, with all of their juice and the peppers, over the top. Scatter
the cilantro over and serve immediately.

Yield: 68 servings

Posted to recipeludigest by molony molony@scsn.net on Mar 16, 1998