Tequila Chorizo Clams On The Grill Recipes

STEAMED CLAMS WITH CHORIZO AND TEQUILA

Steps:

• Heat a heavy, medium pot over medium heat. Add the chorizo, breaking up the large pieces with a wooden spoon. Saute until almost crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to paper towels to drain.
• Add the butter and onions and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes longer. Add the tequila and clam juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the clams to the pot, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the clams open wide, 10 to 12 minutes (discard any clams that remain unopened). Return the chorizo to the pot and stir to combine. Divide between 2 bowls, sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve with the loaf of sourdough.

CHORIZO STEAMED CLAMS

Steps:

• Place large pot over medium heat; add olive oil. Stir in diced onion; cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 3 or 4 minutes. Add chorizo; cook and stir to render some fat, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Pour in white wine.
• Raise heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Immediately add clams and distribute evenly. Cover and cook until clams open, about 7 minutes. During this time you can occasionally shake the pot to "stir" the clams using potholders or a kitchen towel to hold the pot handles. It's best not to open the lid and stir.
• When clams have opened, remove pot from heat. Stir in butter and parsley; allow butter to melt. Serve clams in heated bowls with lots of the liquid.

CLAMS WITH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Scrub the clams, discarding any with cracked or open shells that fail to close when tapped.
• Heat the olive oil in a nonreactive large sautee pan or saucepan. Prick the sausage a few times with a toothpick. Fry the sausage over medium heat until cooked, about five minutes on each side. Transfer the sausage to a cutting board and let it cool, then cut it into thin slices.
• Discard all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until lightly brown, about three minutes. Stir in the sausage, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, pepper and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the clams and tightly cover the pot.
• Cook the clams over high heat until the shells open, about eight minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to give the shells room to open. Ladle the clams and cooking liquid into shallow bowls (discard any that have not opened).

GRILLED PORK CHOPS WITH CLAMS AND CHORIZO

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut 1/4 inch off tops of garlic heads and put heads, cut sides up, on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and wrap tightly in foil, then roast in oven until garlic is soft when pierced with tip of a knife, about 45 minutes.
• While garlic roasts, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add bay leaves and cook, stirring, until leaves begin to brown, about 10 seconds. Reduce heat to moderate, then add onion, carrot, celery, and chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, cloves, red-pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, then add broth and reserved clam juice. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
• While tomato sauce simmers, squeeze pulp from garlic cloves and force through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl using a rubber spatula, discarding solids. Whisk purée into tomato sauce. Discard bay leaves and cloves, then keep sauce warm while grilling chops.
• Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate.
• Pat pork chops dry and sprinkle on both sides with salt. Grill pork chops on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of a chop (do not touch bone) registers 145°F, 12 to 14 minutes total. Transfer chops to a plate and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• Add clams to sauce and cook just until clams plump and edges begin to curl, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir parsley into sauce along with any meat juices accumulated on plate.
• Serve chops topped with clams and sauce.