A super easy super fancy yummy dinner

So last Tuesday, the boy had a work dinner and I was fully prepared to cozy up on the couch with a big container of watermelon, some tea, and the Olympics. Some days, if it’s just me, I’m all like, fuck cooking. Right? But then at lunch I came across this recipe and I was like, you know what, I want to make this for dinner. AND I’M SO GLAD I DID.

Warning. This recipe is for clams. If you do not like clams, mussels, et cetera et cetera, well you suck and need to try them and experience their delicious, briny glory. But in the meantime, just ignore this whole post.

But anyway. Yeah. I love clams. But they are really more of an East Coast thing and as such, are hard to find in Houston. This is a city that loves itself some oysters. Which is cool and all, but jeeeez, who doesn’t love clams in a good broth with a nice crusty piece of bread to sop it all up?

Bonus on this dish – it is super easy, I SWEAR, but it will look so impressive for guests. This recipe makes enough broth for probably 4 people, but I only bought enough clams for myself, so take that all into consideration when prepping and buying ingredients.

Alright, onwards to Clams in a Fennel and Shallot Broth.

You will need:

- Claims (original recipe said 1 ½ lbs for 4 servings – I bought myself 2/3 of a pound because I was a hungry hungry hippo)
- Olive oil
- 1 medium-large shallot, diced
- 1 medium fennel bulb, diced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
- Parsley (fresh is preferable, but I just used dried because I suck)
- Salt
- Pepper
- A CRUSTY AMAZING PIECE OF BREAD TO DIP IN THE BROTH

Ok so if you’re going with the original amount for 4 servings (let’s pretend we are), you need to bring a cup of water to a boil in a stock pot and then toss in the clams. Cover and steam them for 5 minutes, or until all the clams are open. Remove from pot and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid.




Meanwhile, getchyo mise en place going:




Dice the shallot and fennel BULB (you can toss the stalks and fronds) into small pieces. They do not have to be perfect here. Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan and heat to medium. When pan is hot, add fennel and shallot and sauté for 6-8 mins, until soft and translucent. Do NOT brown the shallot.




Add chicken stock, reserved clam water (ewww), and diced potato to the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

After 15 mins, add contents of pan to a blender (or in batches to your Magic Bullet, like me). Puree until smooth. Pour into bowls and add clams. SOP UP THE DELICIOUS BROTH WITH YOUR CRUSTY BREAD NOM NOM NOM.




Easy, right?