L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 2023 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano B aked clams oreganata is a personal favorite of mine, which is particularly pop- ular in the northeast United States. Clams are shucked or steamed open, then stuffed with breadcrumbs seasoned with garlic and herbs and laced with the briny clam juices, then finally baked until lightly brown. It's a supremely simple dish—one you can eas- ily prepare ahead and bake at the last minute— but it's a ver- itable flavor bomb. No wonder it's on the menu of just about every Italian restaurant in the country. Italian-American dishes usually have a continental c o u n t e r p a r t , a n d B a k e d clams oreganata is no excep- tion. Italians make a nearly identical dish called vongole gratinate al forno, though I'd venture to say that its near cousin cozze al gratin, made with mussels, is rather more popular. The subtle dif- ferences, which I explain in the Notes below, between the New and Old World versions illustrate some typical exam- ples of how these two related but different cuisines have developed over the years. For many Italian Ameri- cans, baked clams are practi- c a l l y s y n o n y m o u s w i t h Christmas Eve, and often fea- ture as part of the famous Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes. But if you ask me, they're far too d e l i c i o u s t o r e l e g a t e t o a once-a-year occasion. Ingredients (serves 2-3 as an appetizer) One dozen clams White wine Water and salt For the filling: 1 cup breadcrumbs 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced 3-4 sprigs of fresh parsley, stems removed finely minced A generous pinch of dried oregano A p i n c h o f r e d p e p p e r flakes (optional) Olive oil Salt (only if needed) For serving: O n e l e m o n , s l i c e d i n t o wedges Directions FRANK FARIELLO have done so. Reserve the clam juice at the bottom of the pot. Let the clams cool. Once they have, remove the top shell (the one to which the c l a m i s n ' t a t t a c h e d ) t h e n detach the clam from the bot- tom shell with a paring knife. Place each clam, with its flesh still in the half shell, on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the clams. Prepping the filling While the clams are cool- ing, prepare the filling by mixing together the bread- c r u m b s , g a r l i c , p a r s l e y , oregano and, if using, the red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil to moisten and mix again. Now take the clam juice and add it to the filling. You should get a fairly compact and moist mixture. Take care that none of the silt that may be lying at the bottom of the pan gets into the filling. (NB: If you want to err on the side of caution, filter the juices by pouring them into a bowl through a coffee filter or sev- eral layers of cheesecloth). Let the mixture rest for a few minutes. Taste and, only if needed, season with salt. F i l l i n g a n d b a k i n g t h e clams Spoon the filling on top of the clams in a small mound, taking care not to pack them too tightly. Drizzle them with olive oil and place them in a very hot (230C/450F) oven for about 10 minutes, or until nice and golden brown on top. Let the clams cool a bit before serving with lemon wedges. Notes Many recipes will recom- mend littleneck clams for m a k i n g b a k e d c l a m s o r e - ganata. They are relatively small, nice, and tender and provide a pleasant balance between clam and filling. At the same time, they are just large enough to hold a filling. In Rhode Island, the local quahogs are quite popular stuffed and baked. That said, just about any variety of clams will take to this method, so long as they aren't too small or too large. The tiny vongole veraci they o f t e n u s e i n I t a l y t o m a k e s p a g h e t t i a l l e v o n g o l e f o r e x a m p l e , a r e great for pasta but just too small for this treatment. (No worries in the US since, as f a r a s I k n o w , c l a m s a r e never sold that small here). At the other extreme, overly large clams tend to be tough and hold so much filling that it would overwhelm the actu- al clam, so avoid them as well. (If you do find yourself with no choice but to use larger clams, it's best to chop them into bits). I find a clam that's 2 to 2-1/2 inches wide perfect. A n d y e s y o u w i l l f i n d recipes for baked clams ore- ganata using canned clams. Please don't. While I happily use other canned seafood, those rubbery, tasteless pel- lets that were supposedly once clams are the devil's own work. The filling Of course, you'll get the best results if you use home- made bread crumbs for the f i l l i n g , b u t s t o r e - b o u g h t works perfectly fine. If you want to get fancy, use Panko, which provides a more inter- esting texture. But whatever y o u d o , m a k e s u r e t o use plain breadcrumbs with- out any seasonings already in t h e m . S e a s o n e d b r e a d - c r u m b s a r e j u s t a w f u l , packed with additives and they taste terrible. T h e e x a c t a m o u n t o f b r e a d c r u m b s w i l l v a r y depending on the size of the c l a m s a n d h o w h i g h y o u want to pile the filling, but t h e m e a s u r e m e n t s g i v e n above—1 cup of breadcrumbs for a dozen clams—work well f o r m e . I f y o u r c l a m s a r e e s p e c i a l l y l a r g e y o u m a y want to use a bit more. The consistency of the fill- ing can vary quite a bit. I actually like my clams ore- ganata with a fairly compact and bread-y filling, but still soft and fluffy. For this rea- son,, I do add the clam juice but use a light touch when placing the filling into the shells. If you find your mix- ture is too wet, then just add more crumbs. Frank is a lawyer with a true passion for cooking and sharing food with the people he loves. He inherited his love for Italian cuisine and culinary tradition from his g r a n d m o t h e r , N o n n a Angelina, to whom he dedi- c a t e d h i s c u l i n a r y blog, Memorie di Angeli- na: www.memoriediangeli- na.com LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Prepping and cooking the clams Soak the clams for an hour or more in enough well-salt- e d w a t e r t o c o v e r t h e m . Drain and rinse them well. Place the clams in a pot large enough to hold them with ease. Add a good splash of white wine. Set on medi- um-high heat and cover. Let simmer, shaking the pan from time to time. After a minute or two, check to see if the clams have opened. I m m e d i a t e l y r e m o v e a n y that have and set them in a bowl or tray. Continue to simmer, covered, until all Baked clams with breadcrumbs and herbs, like those of our recipe! (Photo: Aas2009/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED Baked clams oreganata

• Cover