[CH] Chile-head recipe!
MMazzarese (MMazzarese@aol.com)
Sat, 2 May 1998 22:26:22 EDT
I was thinking of a Portuguses dish that combines clams and pork and came up
this this variation last night. Sounds more complicated thatn it really is.
It turned out to be delicious! Hope you lke it
CLAMS, MUSSELS, AND CHORIZO WITH ORRECHIETE (little ears pasta) AND HOT CHILIS
12 vongole (small little necks..tiniest you can find)
1 LB mussels soaked and de-bearded
1 LB chorizo (or Italian sausage), sliced in rounds of about 1/2" thick
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 small red onion minced
1 leek, washed, minced
1 jalapeno pepper*
1 serrano pepper*
3 poblano peppers*
1 tsp chipotle pepper sauce*
1 red sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 small can Italian tomatoes, seeded and diced
1tbs cumin powder
1 tbs chili powder
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup minced Italian fresh parsely
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
pinch of saffron
1/2 cup creme fraiche( Mexican CREMA or sour cream)
1lb Orrechiete pasta (penne, rigatoni, shells)
Soak clams and mussels in cold water to get rid of any sand or dirt. Saute
half the garlic and onion in saute pan with half the olive oil. Add clams,
mussels, and wine. Cover and steam just until the clams and mussels open.
Remove from pot and cool. Remove clams and mussels from their shells and
reserve the meat in a separate dish. Pour out broth into another dish and rub
saffron threads into it. Reserve broth.
In saute pan saute chorizo in the remaining olive oil. Add remaining garlic,
onion, leek. Saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add diced chili peppers,
chili powder and cumin. Saute 3-4 minutes to extract the flavors. Add diced
tomatoes, the juice from the can, the reserved clam/mussel broth, and the
chicken broth. Add half the minced herbs. Mix thoroughly, cover and cook on
low for 15 minutes.
Cook pasta according to directions but drain about 1 minute before it is
really done. Reserve pasta water in case you need more moisture in the
"sauce".
Add the reserved clams and mussels to the saute pan and mix through to heat.
Add the drained pasta to the saute pan and mix over low heat about 2-3
minutes. If you need more moisture, add a little of the hot pasta water. Turn
heat off and add the creme fraiche and the rest of the herbs. Mix well and
serve! ......................................................Whew! but it's
worth the effort!!!!
* NOTE: A combination of hot sauces would also be good.
A crisp cold beer or non-alcholic beer is great with this dish. Hope you like
it.
Mike Mazz..................