Roasted Clams with Bacon
12 fresh New Jersey littleneck clams
salt
cornmeal or all-purpose flour
For the topping:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fine bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped roasted red sweet pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped pancetta or bacon
dry white wine
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Scrub the clams to remove exterior dirt. Preheat a broiler. In a mixing bowl,
combine all the ingredients for the topping and mix well. Working over a bowl
to catch any clam juice, open clams, cutting the flesh from the shell cavity
to make it easier to lift out when eating. Leave the whole clam meat in one
of its shells and discard the other shell. Spoon equal amount of topping on
each clam. Drizzle clam juice from the bowl over the topping and sprinkle lightly
with wine to keep the clams moist and prevent them from burning. Place in a
flameproof baking dish 9 inches from the broiler. Broil for about 6 minutes,
watching carefully to be sure the topping does not burn. If it browns too quickly,
move farther from the flame and add a little more clam juice or wine before
returning them to the oven. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Yield: 2 servings