faster than a restaurant - and better, too

like most people,

when i'm in a hurry

and determined to make

dinner,

i often turn to pasta.

it's so fast, so simple

and i know

i can concentrate on six

other things - like bills, where my

other green shoe is, the fact that i got home

from work really late, that i have to go

into work really early tomorrow and

that i really want to watch the

american idol finale

before midnight - while boiling

up a pot of penne and stirring

in a sauce.

but i'm trying hard to break

away from the

easy pasta way out.

not to say i'll quit cold

turkey (in fact, i have one

still to share),

just that i'm open to other

maybe-not-so-quick-seeming-

but-really-are-fast options.

recently, a

challenging day at work,

combined with getting home

late, made me decide to

treat myself to one

of my all time favorite foods:

fresh clams

(i'm a fan of all things seafood,

shellfish especially.

if pushed, i'm not sure whether

i would fall on the side of a

mussel or clam freak. ideally,

i'd mix them together and call it

a day - soon, i'll give you my favorite

mussel dish and let you be

the judge).

i love them tiny,

like cockles, which we used in

school once to make an unbelievably

mellow miso soup, 

to steamers, which are so gritty,

they require multiple baths,

to the large chowder clams,

that can be chopped up and 

stirred into soups or sauces.

commonly, i use

mahogany,

cherry stones

and 

little necks.

the mahogany are very dark,

almost black,

extra briny and release

a lot of their own juices

when steamed open.

the little necks are slightly

smaller, pale grey, sweet

and not quite as briny.

the cherry stones can get

quite large and risk 

chewiness if not pulled

from the pot once open.

so simple and really

a one pot treat,

clams require little more

than a soak or scrub,

and then a quick steam

with flavor boosters.

toss them into a bowl -

or, i don't judge,

enjoy them straight from

the pot to save yourself an

extra dish to wash -

serve with a warm loaf of bread

and dinner is done.

i've often steamed open

clams with shallots, garlic,

white wine and clam juice -

so delicious.

but when i want a bit

more oomph,

i turn to my revised

version of this recipe,

originally from bon appetit.

it's very fast -

there is chopping, but i rationalize

that that's my soaking time for

the clams.

then, while i saute a healthy

spoonful of chopped garlic

and another of jalapenos

(which smells fabulous, by the way)

i give the clams a water change.

by the time the time

the liquids are bubling away,

i drain the shells, add them

to the saucepot, cover

and walk away.

usually, i set the timer

for a little less than called

for in the recipe -

anywhere between 5 and 10

minutes, typically, and

pry the lid off the pot.

and this is usually about the time

that i mutter to myself,

you have issues.

because you see, i love

lifting the cover (carefully)

to a cloud of steam, waiting for

the puffs to clear and seeing that a couple

of the shells are

honest-to-goodness open

and ready to be eaten.

sick. i know.

but even worse,

i love nothing more in clam

making than after i've transfered

one of the open clams to a bowl

to turn

back to the pot just in time to

watch another shell expand.

constant amusement, i tell you.

usually,

once a couple have opened,

i can continue the pattern:

scoop

transfer

turn back

watch one open,

over again, while having a mini

competition with myself to

see how many will successfully

open. if at the end,

i have zero to two closed

ones left in the pot,

i consider the batch tremendously

successful.

there's just something oddly

entertaining and,

dare i say, riveting, standing

over a steaming hot

pot,

watching the last two clams

and wondering,

will they?

this time, they all did.

once i move the last of the clams

to the bowl, i stir the lemon zest

and basil into the 

spicy tomato-laced broth,

and then poured the whole thing

into the bowl.

25 minutes, honestly.

tender, sweet and with

this sauce, 

slightly tart 

and 

slightly spicy,

they're a briny treat worth

rolling up your sleeves for.

leave the forks in the drawer

and use the bread to mop up 

the flavorful broth.

dinner? done.

lemon, basil and jalapeno steamed clams

adapted from bon appetit magazine

play around until you find a combination you like. the original recipe called for littleneck clams (negotiable), 1/2 stick butter (not necessary), canned tomato sauce (too much like an italian sauce for me) and no clam juice (for me, usually a must). i've played to make it more my taste. also, regardless of how many pounds of clams i use, i always make the same amount of sauce. this time i used a mixture of 3 pounds of clams, but i've made this with as little as two and up to the 6 pounds called for in the original recipe. to make it a hearty meal, it's ok to fall into old habits and serve over pasta. but for me, there's something great about the clams as they are, hot bread and a crisp salad that you just can't beat.

2-6 pounds mahogany, little neck and/or cherry stone clams

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 jalapeno, halved, seeded and chopped (if you like things spicy, leave the seeds in)

2 medium on-the-vine tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup clam juice

1 large juicy lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 cup fresh basil

place clams in colander set in bowl, checking to make sure they are closed*; fill bowl with cool to cold water. gently swish clams around to release grit. drain bowl and repeat several times, letting clams sit in the water for several minutes, swishing occassionally, until no longer gritty at the bottom of the bowl.

in large saucepot over medium-high heat, melt butter; add garlic and jalapeno. cook 3 minutes, or until tender. add tomatoes, wine, clam juice and lemon juice. bring mixture to a boil. drain clams for a final time; gently add to saucepot. cover and set timer for 7 minutes. 

meanwhile, slice basil.

remove lid and using slotted spoons, transfer opened clams to serving bowl (if none are open after 7 minutes, replace lid and let steam 1 minute more, or until a few start to open). continue transfering clams to bowl. once all open clams are transfered (and any closed clams discarded), stir basil and lemon zest into wine mixture. pour over clams. serve with hot bread for dipping.

*clams that are alive and well should close when gently tapped. if once tapped they do not close, set them aside until you finish checking the rest of the clams. tap them a second time, if they still do not close, discard them. same thing goes for clams that do not open - they fooled you going in (it happens to the best of us) and should not be pryed open. toss those, too.