Summer Clam Stew With Pesto Recipes

SUMMER SEAFOOD STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy 8- to 10-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and next 8 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until flavors blend and liquid is slightly reduced, about 45 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
• Add clams to cooking liquid. Cover pot and cook until clams open, about 10 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Add cod, shrimp and scallops. Simmer until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle stew into bowls. Sprinkle with basil and serve

FISH STEW WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy saute pan or casserole, at least six quarts capacity.
• Add the onions, leeks, chopped fennel bulbs and red pepper and saute over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and chili pepper and saute for another minute. Then add the tomatoes, fish stock and wine. Season with a little salt, add the thyme, reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
• While the vegetable mixture is cooking, place the potatoes in a pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Fold the beans into the vegetable mixture, then tuck in the clams and mussels. Cut the fish into two-inch chunks and add them. Cover the casserole and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the clams and mussels have opened and the fish is cooked through.
• Tuck the potatoes into the stew. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and serve in deep bowls or soup plates, with a dollop of pesto on top of each serving.

CLAM STEW

Steps:

• Place clams in a stockpot; top with the next 8 ingredients. Add beer and oil; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 10 minutes., Stir; cook, covered, until clams open, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Discard any unopened clams. Ladle into bowls; serve with grilled bread.

HARD-SHELL CLAMS WITH PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Turn on broiler and put a large cast-iron skillet under it while you make parsley pesto. Combine parsley with a pinch of salt, garlic and about half the oil in a food processor or blender. Process, stopping to scrape down sides of container if necessary, and adding rest of oil gradually. Add vinegar or lemon juice, then a little water to thin mixture slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Carefully remove skillet from broiler, add clams to it and return to broiler. They should all open more or less at once, within 10 minutes; remove them as soon as they do to preserve their juices, and put on a plate. Dab each with parsley sauce and serve hot. (Any clams that do not open are safe to eat; open them with a dull knife, or continue to broil a few minutes longer.)

HEARTY CHICKPEA STEW WITH PESTO

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden, 10 minutes. Add oregano and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until onion is tender, 5 minutes.
• Add chickpeas and bread and simmer until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve topped with pesto.

PESTO-TOMATO CLAMS

Steps:

• Bring wine, garlic, and crushed red pepper to boil in heavy extra-large pot. Add clams. Cover and cook until clams open, about 9 minutes. Using slotted spoon or tongs, transfer clams to 4 large bowls (discard any clams that do not open). Stir tomatoes and pesto into pot and bring to simmer. Ladle pesto broth over clams and serve.