Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [142]
LITTLENECK CLAMS
Smoked Clams Marinara
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
In this fired-up version of the classic, smoky aromas come from fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid smoke, and the fragrance of burning wood chips.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups wood chips, such as oak, alder, apple, or cherry, soaked in water for 30 minutes
¼ cup olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Two 15-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 drained and 1 with juice
2 canned anchovy fillets (optional)
5 teaspoons liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
¾ cup dry white wine
3 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
12 ounces dried linguine
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes with the juice and the one without juice. Add the anchovies, 2 teaspoons of the liquid smoke, the sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, 10 to 15 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon herbs.
Light a grill for direct medium-low heat, about 325°F, with smoke. Puree the marinara and wine in a blender, then heat in a large saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour half the mixture into a disposable aluminum pan just large enough to hold the clams in a single layer. Add the clams.
Add the wood chips to the grill. When you see smoke, put the pan on the grill and close the lid. Cook until the clams open, spooning some of the sauce over the clams as they cook, about 30 minutes, which is about when the clams should open. Discard any clams that do not open.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the remaining tablespoon of liquid smoke and linguine and cook until the linguine is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and toss with the marinara while still in the saucepan. Divide among 4 plates and top with the opened clams and marinara from the clam pan.
MUSSELS
Wasabi-Drizzled Mussels Grilled with Green Tea Fumes
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Mussels, especially New Zealand green mussels, pair remarkably well with pungent wasabi and softly bitter green tea. To infuse the mussels with green tea aromas, we grill them over soaked green tea leaves, and then serve them with soy sauce and green tea ponzu. A drizzle of wasabi vinaigrette opens up the flavor profile. Most mussels available today are farmed on ropes, but some are harvested from sand. If yours are sandy, purge them of sand by soaking them in salted water for 1 to 2 hours.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup loose green tea leaves, such as bancha or hojicha
1¼ cups Green Tea Ponzu Sauce
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
3 scallions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Grated zest and juice of 1 small lime
½ ounce kombu (dried kelp), torn into pieces
4 pounds mussels, debearded and scrubbed
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
DIRECTIONS:
Soak the tea leaves in cold water for 30 minutes.
Light a grill for direct medium heat, about 350°F, with smoke. Combine the ponzu sauce, tamari, scallions, ginger, lemon zest and juice, lime zest and juice, and kombu in a disposable aluminum pan large enough to hold the mussels in a single layer (or nearly single). Add the mussels to the pan.
Add the soaked tea leaves to the grill as you would wood chips. Put the pan of mussels directly over the heat, close the lid, and cook until the mussels open, 15 to 20 minutes, spooning the liquid over the mussels a few times.
Pluck the mussels from the liquid and transfer them to shallow bowls, discarding any mussels that do not open. Strain the liquid through