John Mitovitch And Thom Serranis Clams Casino Recipes

CLAMS CASINO WITH BACON AND BELL PEPPER

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 500°F. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels, reserving fat in skillet. Let cool, then break into 1/2" pieces.
• Purée shallots and bell pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. Add shallot mixture to bacon fat; season with 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and cook, stirring, until liquid is evaporated and mixture begins to look dry, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Toss panko with oil and parsley in a small bowl; season lightly with salt. Spread a layer of salt on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange clams over to keep steady. Top each clam with a level 1/2 tsp. shallot mixture (you may have extra), then top with bacon and breadcrumb mixture. Roast until breadcrumbs are lightly toasted and clams are just cooked through, 6-8 minutes.

JOHN MITOVITCH AND THOM SERRANI'S CLAMS CASINO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Arrange the clams, shell side down, on a rack or baking dish.
• Combine the two tablespoons soft butter with the Tabasco sauce, scallions, garlic, shallots, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, red and green peppers, mustard, Cognac, salt and pepper. Sprinkle an equal portion of the mixture on top of each clam.
• Put the bacon in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to the boil and drain. Pat dry. Cut the bacon into small rectangles and cover each clam with a portion of it. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs and pour the melted butter over all. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes.

GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Cut the avocados in half. Discard the pits. Remove the peel from the avocado halves and put the halves in a mixing bowl. Using a fork and knife scissor-fashion, cut the avocado halves roughly into small pieces, each about one- half-inch thick. Sprinkle with lime juice and stir. There should be about two cups.
• Put half of the chopped avocado into the container of a food processor or electric blender and add half of the onions, the olive oil and half of the coriander. Blend thoroughly. Add this to the remaining chopped avocado. Add the chilies. Stir in the remaining onions and coriander and the tomatoes. Add salt to taste

JOHN'S CLAMS CASINO

Steps:

• 1. Partially steam clams just to get them to open (about 2 mins). Carefully shuck clams (remove top shell)
• 2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.
• 3. Add bacon to pan, cooking until bacon begins to brown, stirring occasionally.
• 4. Add wine. Cook until liquid evaporates (about 30 seconds), scraping to loosen browned bits.
• 5. Add bell pepper, shallots & garlic to pan. Cook 4 mins or until tender. Place mixture in a medium bowl.
• 6. Add breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley & black pepper to bacon mixture. Stir until blended.
• 7. Cover a baking sheet with foil.
• 8. Take a very sharp knife and make 2 small slits across each clam. Drizzle with a little clam juice to keep them from drying out.
• 9. Place each clam in shell on the foil. ** TIP: To keep them from moving & tipping, simply take a small bowl of sea salt and add a tiny bit of water to just moisten the salt & make it clumpy. Place a small mound on the foil & place a shell on the salt mound. It will stay put better.
• 10. Top each clam with an equal amount of the bacon mixture.
• 11. Broil until tops are browned and clams are done. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

AN AMERICAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Trim off the root end of the leeks. Split the leeks in half and rinse well between the leaves. Pat dry. Cut the leeks into very small dice. There should be about two cups.
• Trim the celery and cut it into small dice. There should be about two cups.
• Trim off the ends of the green beans and cut them into small dice. There should be about two cups.
• Trim and scrape the carrots. Cut them into one-quarter-inch slices. Stack the slices and cut them into one-quarter-inch strips. Cut the strips into one-quarter-inch dice. There should be about one and one-half cups.
• Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut the zucchini into one-half-inch dice. There should be about two cups.
• Heat the butter in a kettle and add the onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, about five minutes. Add the carrots, celery and green beans. Cook, stirring, about three minutes and stir in the crushed tomatoes.
• Add the broth, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Let simmer 20 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn and peas and continue cooking about 10 minutes longer. Serve sprinkled with basil or parsley.

CLAMS CASINO

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it begins to brown but is not crisp, transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, and discard the fat from the skillet. In the skillet, wiped clean, cook the onion and the garlic in the oil over moderately low heat until they are softened, add the bell peppers and the orégano, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the bell peppers are crisp-tender. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the bacon, the vinegar, the Parmesan, and salt and black pepper to taste. The bell pepper mixture may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Arrange the clams in the reserved shells in a jelly-roll pan filled with some of the coarse salt (to balance the shells), divide the bell pepper mixture among them, and bake the clams in a preheated 400°F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are just cooked through. Arrange the clams on a platter filled with more of the coarse salt.

CLAMS CASINO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Shuck the clams, leaving each clam in the half-shell and reserving the juices. Strain the juices through a cheesecloth into a bowl.
• Place the clams on a rimmed baking sheet in one even layer. Top each clam with a pepper square, then with a bacon or pancetta square, and with a dab of butter, using all 3 tablespoons evenly. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top. Pour the reserved shucking juices into a measuring cup, and add enough white wine to make 2 cups combined liquid. Pour the liquid into the bottom of the baking sheet.
• Bake the clams, uncovered, until the bacon or pancetta is crispy and the clams are cooked all the way through, about 25 minutes. Serve on a platter, drizzled with baking juices.

FOIES DE VOLAILLE AU MADERE (CHICKEN LIVERS IN MADEIRA WINE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Pick over the livers. Cut away and discard any connective tissue. Cut the livers in half.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and add the livers, salt and pepper to taste. Cook about one minute and drain well. Pour off all fat from the skillet and wipe it out well with paper toweling. Add the livers to a very small saucepan.
• Heat one tablespoon of the butter in the skillet and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the Madeira and cook until the wine is reduced to half. Pour this over the livers. Heat the livers in the sauce and swirl in the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

LAMB AND WHITE-BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Soak the beans or not according to package recommendations.
• Heat the butter in a kettle and add the onion, garlic and lamb shanks. Cook, stirring the onion and turning the shanks, about five minutes.
• Drain the beans and add them to the kettle. Add the water, tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, thyme, cloves, peppercorns and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and let simmer two hours.
• Remove the shanks, bay leaf, parsley and thyme sprigs.
• Remove the skin from the shanks. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it or cut it into small bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the soup. Reheat and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

CLAMS CASINO

Steps:

• In a small skillet, cook bacon until crisp over medium heat. Crumble, and set aside.
• Wash clams. Place on a baking sheet. Heat in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until clams open. Discard any that do not open. Remove meat from shells. Chop, and set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil and butter to a small skillet, and place pan over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic; saute until tender. Remove from heat, and cool.
• In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, bacon, oregano, cheese, sauteed vegetables, and chopped clams. Mix well. Fill clam shells with mixture, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Serve.