Zuppa Di Cozze E Vongole Recipes

ZUPPA DI MUSSELS (CLAMS) O VONGOLE AL POMODORO

Steps:

• (Start preparing a day ahead.).
• Cooking Time: 30 minutes.
• Preparation:.
• Soak shellfish overnight in salted water (in sea water if available, or see instructions below.).
• Drain in a colander. Mince abundant parsley, cut the tomatoes, and grind some pepper in your peppermill.
• Sliced garlic as finely as possible. Not minced, just paper thin fine slices.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy 3 quart saucepan or Dutch oven over very low heat. Add the garlic; cook slowly until the garlic just begins to turn very light brown, this should take about 10 minutes. 2. Add the crushed red pepper, if using, and remove from the heat. Let cool 5 minutes.
• Return the pan to high heat; add the wine and boil 3 minutes. Add the cleaned clams or mussels and cover tightly. Steam, shaking the pan occasionally, just until the shells open, about 2 minutes for the mussels, 6 minutes for the clams. 60 seconds before completion add tomatoes and parsley if desired, more red pepper or black pepper to taste. Spoon the shellfish and broth into shallow bowls and serve very hot.
• Cook a minute or two more, and serve, with toasted bread or over pasta.
• Note:.
• If one of the shellfish fails to open upon being cooked, do not eat it! It was already dead when it went into the pot, and eating it could make you quite sick.

CASSUOLA DI VONGOLE E COZZE ALL' ACQUA PAZZA

Steps:

• With a mezzaluna or a very sharp knife, mince the garlic, fennel, and parsley to a fine paste.
• In a very large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole over a medium flame, warm 1/3 cup of the olive oil and very lightly sauté the paste in it. Add the chile, tomatoes, sea salt, and the wine, bringing all to a simmer. Lower the flame a bit and continue to cook for 5 minutes, reducing the wine and softening the tomatoes. Add the clams and mussels to the simmering sauce, poaching them until they are all opened.
• Warm the remaining 1 cup of olive oil and brown the bread in it, letting it drain a moment on absorbent paper towels before placing it in a napkin-lined basket.
• At just the point when all the shellfish have opened, remove the casserole from the flame, stir in the vinegar, and carry it to the table along with the basket of fried bread.

ZUPPA DI VONGOLE (CLAM SOUP)

Steps:

• Scrub clams with a brush, and rinse well to remove sand. Place in a large kettle with ½ cup water, and steam until shells open, about 15 minutes. Remove clams from shells, and strain juice. Set clam juice aside until ready to use.
• Brown garlic in oil about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add clam juice and clams. Continue cooking 1 minute longer. Pour over toast and serve immediately.

ZUPPA DI VONGOLE: CLAM SOUP

Steps:

• Remove excess sand from clams by soaking them in a bowl of cold salted water. The clams will open up their shells and release any sand and grit that is inside.
• In a pan, heat the 1/4 cup oil and fry up 2 cloves garlic, the chili pepper, the stone, if using, and cherry tomatoes until the tomatoes soften and lose their shape, about 3 minutes.
• Add the clams, and cook for 30 seconds with the lid on, shaking the pan often.
• Add the wine to the pan, and cover with the lid until the clams have completely opened.
• The clams release some water, which is the base for the soup. Add a generous splash of white wine. You can make this more soupy by adding a little more wine or even a few spoonfuls of tomato puree.
• Add the parsley and salt, to taste. Continue cooking for another minute for all the flavors to come together.
• Rub some raw garlic on the toasted bread slices. Drizzle the bread with the extra virgin olive oil. Serve the clam soup in bowls with 2 half slices of toast per bowl.

ZUPPA DI VONGOLE (CLAM SOUP)

Steps:

• Into a saucepan put 4 dozen *vongole* or small clams (cockles or mussels can be used as well).
• Pour over them three-quarters of a bottle of white wine and let them cook until they have opened.
• Drain them, setting aside the liquid in which they have cooked, and remove the empty half-shells. -- Chop the white part of a leek with a small onion, add a clove of garlic, and saute this mixture in a saucepan with good oil, add the liquid from the clams, and a quart of fish stock; add a peeled and chopped tomato, a bouquet of marjoram, and a few green leaves of celery.
• Let this bubble fast for ten minutes, remove the bouquet and the garlic, stir the clams into the soup, and pour it into the tureen.
• Serve separately small croutons of bread fried in oil.