The Kitchen Project week 5 - Steamed Littleneck Clams in butter and wine

This week has been out of whack. My mom has come to visit, whom I adore, however, we have been eating out quite a bit. I also fell off the wagon on my anti-dairy routine :( and I have only worked out twice (double sad face), the weather has been so so cold and it snowed like CRAZY in Austin.  Crazy means 1.5 inches that stuck. Something I have never seen in these parts. So, basically, I've given into my comfort food weakness and indulged in some butter and cheese. I love the stuff, but have come to realize...dairy and me, just don't agree.

Regardless, I have been craving making this meal, since I shared a similar one with a very special friend on Christmas. He made this dish, I paid attention and here I am recreating it. I feel all growns up these last few weeks not having to follow specific recipes. It's so liberating! So, here is what I did.

Littleneck clams (about 1 lb per person) which can be found at your local seafood market
Shallot - chopped 1 bulb per lb
Garlic - I love garlic, so I used a lot, but I would gauge it at 1-2 cloves chopped per lb
White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio) - a quarter of a bottle, more for taste and broth
Butter - about 1 tsp, more depending on amount of clams
Olive Oil to coat pan first

There really is no actual measuring with this recipe, which is fun. I just heated my big pot to a screaming hot temperature, sprayed a little olive oil, and then threw in some wine. The wine will immediately steam up, so have your clams ready to toss in (after a good rinse), I then added the shallot and garlic and threw in a big ol' pat of butter. I'm not talking Paula Deen style, but a good portion. Cover the pot and serve when all of the clams have opened up their little shells. This takes 5-6 minutes.

This is a fun recipe to throw together quickly for a group dinner. No muss no fuss :) One thing I forgot is flat leaf parsley, which would have complimented and garnished the clammies quite nicely...next time.
I served ours with a warm seasoned baguette. Fantastic!

I'm sort of obsessed with shallot lately

Garlic + Shallot

Seasoned baguette bread from the oven

This was a portion for four, so more butter was needed :)

The broth is to die

Bon weekend!