drunken clams with sausage
Recipes
Fish & Seafood
Drunken Clams with Sausage
I developed this dish by experimenting with my favorite ingredients -- clams, sausage, wine and heavy cream. I love it because it is simple to make, because it takes very little time, because it impresses the crowd, and most of all, I love it for the broth! The broth takes me to another world and I can never have enough of it. But the key to getting the dish right lies entirely in CLEANING YOUR CLAMS PROPERLY!.
Ingredients
- 4 dozen littleneck clams, cleaned and scrubbed
- 2 sweet italian sausages (about 10oz), casing removed and meat separated into small pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1/2 of small fennel bulb, thinly sliced (optional)
- 5 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 3/4 cup sweet white wine, such as muscat
- 10 large fresh tarragon leaves
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
- In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, until soft, for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, celery and fennel and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the sausage meat and cook for another 5 minutes, until the meat is nicely browned.
- Add the wine (both dry and sweet) and bring to boil. Add the tarragon.
- Add the clams, cover with a lid and cook, shaking the saucepan from time to time, until the clams are open, for about 6 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream, gently shake the saucepan to mix, and simmer over low heat uncovered, for another 2-3 minutes.
- Spoon the clams into bowls or soup plates. Stir the parsley into the broth, season with pepper and then pour over the clams. Serve with fresh bread.
