Baked Clams

Baked clams are forever linked in my mind, not as you might suppose - with Italian restaurants in NY in the seventies - but with Michelle-who-lived-in-Chris-Balsley's-house. We devised this recipe for a New Year's Eve party - I think it was 1976 or 77 - whatever year Jane was pregnant with Kevin ...

I would've posted this recipe earlier, but it's one of those recipes without definite measurements - they are tricky - it's more about process than amounts of things, well, actually it's not even about which things -

Any way, they are good, almost no matter what you put in them - or how much -


3 cans of minced clams + juice

1 or 2 bottles of clam juice

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

2 small stalks celery - optional

1 green pepper - optional

Progresso Italian breadcrumbs

Olive Oil

Oregano

Parmesan cheese


Simply, this is how to do it:

Heat some oil in a large frying pan

Add one small onion, minced and 1 clove garlic, minced

Add whatever other veggies you are adding

Saute over lowish heat until onions are soft and don't make your eyes water

Add juice from clam cans

Add some of the juice from clam juice bottle

Bring to a boil and stir in breadcrumbs - just enough to thicken the juice/veggie mix

If it gets too thick, add more clam juice

Add some Parmesan cheese

Add clams and take off heat

Place mixture in clam shells - or little foil muffin cups

Sprinkle tops with more breadcrumbs and cheese and drizzle with a bit of oil

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, until tops are brown and bubbly