Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [62]
3. Detach all the clam meat from the shells, discarding the shells. Dip each clam in the juices in the pot to rinse off any grains of sand clinging to it; dip it in and out very gently, without stirring up the pot juices.
4. Cut each clam up into 2 or 3 pieces, putting them all in a small, clean bowl.
5. Pour back into the pot any of the juices that collected in the original bowl to which you had transferred the clams in their shells.
6. Set a strainer over a bowl or pouring cup and line it with a paper towel. Filter all the juices in the pot, straining them through the paper towel.
7. Pour just enough of the filtered juices over the cut-up clam meat to keep it moist, and reserve the rest.
8. If using fresh peas: Shell them and prepare a cupful of the pods for cooking. Soak in cold water, drain, rinse, and set aside.
If using thawed frozen peas: Move on to the next step.
9. Choose a deep, large sauté pan, put in the oil, the chopped onion, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the chopped garlic. Stir once or twice. When the garlic becomes colored a deep gold, add the chopped parsley, stir well, then add the cut-up tomatoes with their juice. Add salt and a few grindings of pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Put in the shelled fresh peas and the prepared pods, or the thawed frozen peas, add the filtered clam juices and, if necessary, enough water to cover the peas by about 1 inch. Cover the pot and adjust heat to cook at a gentle, but steady simmer. If using fresh peas, it may take 10 minutes or more for them to become tender, depending on their freshness and youth. If using thawed peas, cook for just 1 or 2 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
11. Add the cut-up clams with any remaining juices. Cook no longer than the few seconds necessary to warm them through, or they will become tough. Ladle into individual soup bowls and serve at once with crostini.
Mussel Soup
For 4 servings
2 pounds mussels live in their shells
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons garlic chopped fine
1 tablespoon parsley chopped coarse
1 cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
⅛ teaspoon chopped hot red chili pepper
For each serving: 1 thick slice of grilled or browned in the oven crusty bread, lightly rubbed with a peeled mashed garlic clove
1. Wash and clean the mussels. Discard any that do not clamp shut at the touch.
2. Choose a pot that can comfortably accommodate all the mussels in their shells. Put in the oil and chopped garlic, and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the garlic until it has become colored a light gold. Add the parsley, stir thoroughly once, then put in the cut-up tomatoes and the chili pepper. Cook, uncovered, at a gentle, but steady simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the oil floats free of the tomatoes.
3. Put in all the mussels in their shells, cover the pot, and raise the heat to high. Check the mussels frequently, moving them around with a long-handled spoon and bringing up to the top the mussels from the bottom. Cook until all the mussels have opened their shells.
4. Put a slice of the grilled, garlicky bread on the bottom of each individual soup bowl, ladle the mussels with their sauce and juices over it, and serve at once.
Squid and Artichoke Soup
IN THE ITALIAN RIVIERA, whether one is cooking meat or seafood, the principal concern is marrying it to the right vegetable. An example is this soup of squid and artichokes, a match as fresh as it is beautiful, mingling pearly white rings and moss-green slivers, gifts of the deep and of the sun.
For 4 servings
1 pound fresh OR frozen whole squid, thawed, preferably with sacs under 5 inches long
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup dry white wine
1 large or 2 medium artichokes
The juice of ½ lemon
Salt
For each serving: 1 thick slice of grilled or browned in the oven crusty bread, rubbed lightly with a peeled