Cape Cod Stuffies



I love everything related to clams and have enjoyed many varieties; razor clams in Barcelona, Manila  clams in Newark, little necks on the half shell wherever I can get them, steamers dipped in butter, Ipswich belly clams lightly fried throughout New England, etc.. One of my favorite chance encounters was when at a restaurant in Cape Cod years ago and I saw some other patrons eating "Stuffies" at the bar, After inquiring about them I ordered a couple and was delighted. The recipe uses Quahog clams, which are native to cold New England waters. They are huge clams that must either be ground in a meat grinder or hand chopped to a small dice. Typically used in chowders, or, when ground up they become the basis of stuffies.

Unfortunately, here in Jersey I haven't been able to locate fresh quahogs, so when my local fish counter has very large cherry stone clams (ask your fish guy to pick out the largest specimens),  I make them.  Here's how I do it...

Ingredients

12 very large fresh cherry stone clams

4 cloves of garlic diced

1/2 medium onion diced

1/4 red pepper diced

8 ounces spicy Italian sausage (or chorizo) removed from casing (brown well and break up to small size)

1 cup diced Italian bread, toasted in 350 degree over for 10 minutes

1/2 cup finely grated Reggiano Parmigiana
4 ounces melted butter

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

Tabasco or other hot sauce (for spicier version)

1) Put a dozen large cherrystones in 2 inches of water in a pot with a tight lid. Boil/steam till the clams open up. Discard any that don't open. Remove the clams from the shells and put them on cutting board. Pour the liquid from the pot into a separate bowl because we will need it later. Select the nicest looking 14 shells from the 24 halves, and lay them on a cookie sheet. 

2) Chop the clams to a reasonable size, and put in a bowl with any liquid released from the chopping.

3) Add the sauteed garlic and onions and pepper.

4) Add the browned hot Italian sausage.

5) Add the homemade breadcrumbs, parsley, and grated Reggiano.

6) Add enough of the reserved clam juice from the pot, to make a somewhat wet mix.

7) Add 4 ounces of melted butter, and additional hot sauce if you want spicy version.

8) Stuff each shell to overflowing, then sprinkle some paprika on top.

9) Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how crusty you like them.

The first ones I had were very spicy, indicating they added a lot of hot sauce. With a couple of ice cold beers, they were a perfect bar snack. You can prepare them up to day in advance prior to baking. I've made them numerous times, and everyone seems to like them.

"My Little Margie"

The mercury hit the mid 90's last week and that signals the begining of Margarita season. I really enjoy a well made Margie, and detest any mixes sold for assembling the proper blend. This is one of the easiest drinks to make, yet 9 out of 10 bars ruin it with their sickeningly sweet mixes. What bartenders call "sour mix" is actually high fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavor. It imparts the same horrible taste to margarits, collins, whiskey sours etc...

The correct Margarita is made as follows:

4 ounces Tequila (100% agave only)

1.5 ounces Cointreau, or Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

1.5 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice

Splash of seltzer

I prefer my Margies on the rocks, so I first salt the rim of a stem glass or large rocks glass, then fill it with ice. I then fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the above ingredients, except the seltzer. Shake vigorously and pour through a strainer into the glass. Pour a splash of seltzer in and garnish with a slice of lime.

There is no reason to use the most expensive tequila, since it is being mixed with other ingredients, but make sure it is 100% Agave, otherwise it is tequila flavored grain spirit. Don't be afraid to shake the cocktail at least 20 times. You want to dilute the mixture with melting ice in the shaker to make it as cold as possible. One good short cut is to buy Real Lime, which is reconstituted lime juice with no added sugar.

 

Another delightful summer cocktail is the Tom Collins (or vodka collins). I don't need any added sugar so I avoid the bottled collins mixers and powdered mixes. I use the following recipe:

Fill a tall collins glass with ice, add a couple of shots of gin or vodka, add 1.5 ounces of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, 1/2 of a packet of Splenda, and top with seltzer. Stir and add a cherry and a slice of lime. Very refreshing and not bad calorically without the bottled mixer.

Happy Easter!!

Easter has always been my wife Pam's favorite holiday. We have had Easter Dinner at our house for the 27 years we have been married, and we will host the smallest group yet, this year. We will only be six people, but there will be enough food for 20 or more. The centerpiece is the Burger's Smokehouse ham. Burger's Smokehouse is a family owned company selling ham and other delicious pork goodies since 1952. I somehow stumbled on them about 20 years ago, and have not found a better ham since.

The "City Ham" moist cured

I will no doubt be having ham sandwiches, ham omelets, ham salad, etc.. for the weeks after Easter, because 6 people won't put a dent in the this baby. In addition to hams, I have been buying my bacon from them for many years as well. They offer bacon in a variety of ways; country cured, pepper coated, city (moist cured), and maple cured. They sell full and half slabs, or pre-sliced. Their web site is easy to order from, http://www.smokehouse.com/burgers.nsf

but I enjoy calling the order in so I can speak with the nice people in California, Missouri, which is deep in the Ozarks. They now sell all kinds of meats and other items, which I can't vouch for. I doubt they cure and butcher anything but pork, and they do that very well.  It's probably to late to get an Easter Ham from them now, but keep it in mind for next year. Their prices are rather high, but the quality is tops, and shipping is always free. For a quick "you Tube" about Burger's bacon with some good tips on cooking, check it out.

http://youtu.be/9ragmE_Ecks

Italian Food

It amazes me as to what some people consider as good Italian food. Folks in northern New Jersey are incredibly spoiled by the amount of quality Italian restaurants we have at our disposal. And a short hop into the city broadens our choices even more. When I travel to other parts of the country I am always very skeptical of the "Best Italian Restaurant" in town. If they were to open in our neck of the woods, they wouldn't stay in business for six months. Mushy pasta with canned sauces just don't do it for me.
I love to cook Italian recipes at home, and it is a passion of mine to collect Italian regional cookbooks. I currently have around 50 different books and I am always on the look out for new ones. I especially like regional cooking that we don't often seen prepared in our local restaurants. Cooking from Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche, Sicliy and others, contain recipes that use their local ingredients and their own unique flavors. The food in different regions is as different as the wines from different regions.
The vast majority of Americans think of spaghetti and meatballs as Italian food. One of my favorite movies is "The Big Night", about two brothers from Italy running a struggling restaurant serving traditional food. The following clip from the movie shows how they deal with the typical American customer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URdCltP8rqA
Stanley Tucci and Tony Shaloub deliver great performances in this movie. I owe my friend "Mr. Meatball" credit for this clip, as he has used it on his very entertaining blog. I strongly recommend you visit him at;
http://mistermeatball.blogspot.com/
He never fails to get laugh from me, as well as teach me something new.

The New Jersey "State Meat"

T.E.C.  Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese sandwich

Anyone from New Jersey knows about the virtues of Taylor Ham (A.K.A. Pork Roll), and it's curative powers. The pictured sandwich paired with a chocolate milk is the best cure to a hangover known to man. You may ask "what exactly is pork roll composed of?"  Don't bother going there. Just enjoy it's tangy, salty, porky flavor. John Taylor first sold his pork product in 1856, and Case pork roll began in 1870, offering a hickory smoked taste. There are several other manufacturers in Trenton, NJ and southeastern PA., but Taylor and Case are by far the best. Supermarkets often sell a "store brand" pork roll, which should be avoided at all costs. If you see the large log of  "Goodies" brand in a deli meat case, run out of there quickly. This cheap imitation is more like an inferior bologna.
I recently found a good site to buy it direct. There are numerous web sites re-selling Pork Rolls at twice the price of supermarkets, however Case actually takes orders directly at very reasonable rates.   Link is:
http://www.emartshops.com/caseporkrollstore/Case=27s_Pork_Roll_Store_Product_Ordering.html
The big "club  stores" like Costco and B.J.'s sell a 6 pound log for around $20.00, but it's the "Trenton Brand", which doesn't have a lot of flavor. It's also difficult to prevent it from going bad. I will cut it in 6-8 sections and freeze them in zip lock bags, but you still have eat it in a month or two. If I ate 6 lb.s of pork roll a month, I probably would be scheduling a bypass operation. Case offers 1.5 lb rolls which are in the cotton sack and shrink wrapped. They freeze very well until ready for the skillet.

Another wonderful use for pork roll is the "Jersey Burger".  Barbecue a  homemade beef patty, and a thick slice of pork roll on a hot grill, melt american cheese on both, assemble on hard roll with ketchup, salt and pepper. Won't exactly help your tri-glycerides level, but that isn't the point. The combo of pork and beef juices and gooey cheese is heavenly. New Jersey may have the highest taxes in the country, but we can get pork roll in thousands of diners, delis, and stores. The rest of the country has to eat Spam.

A Bed in Paradise

This is the king size lounge/bed I layed myself across for the past week. I had no idea how great it was to sleep in the hotel bed all night and then lounge in another bed all day. I would have bed sores if it wasn't for the getting up and walking 50 feet to the bar for a new cocktail, or the buffet for yet another meal. It's back on the diet this week to make up for the indulgences. Jersey  Pammie and I were at Cancun Caribe Royal Park Grand and really enjoyed it. A welcome break from the harsh winter we have endured this year. You can read my review on Trip advisor in a few days. They had wonderful tequilas, which I never drank much of at home outside of my Margaritas. (I will share the simple recipe in warmer months)
We found the employees to be very friendly and helpful throughout our visit. I was a little reluctant to go to Mexico in light of the violence there. Cancun is probably one of the safest cities in Mexico, and outside of venturing to town once, we had no desire to leave our day-bed. The ocean was delightful and only about 80 steps from the pool pictured above. All inclusives are great for a no-thinking trip. You don't have waste time planning where you eat each meal, or where to go each day. I love a touring vacation, but this is the ideal winter break.
We did go to one very good restaurant across the street one night called Lorenzillo's (web site http://www.lorenzillos.com.mx/    )
This was an excellent dining spot. Outdoor tables on the pier looking out across the bay. Their specialty is lobster (Caribbean Lobster) and they prepare it 20 different ways. I chose the filet mignon stuffed with lobster and mushrooms in Bernaise sauce. It was outstanding. We also had the Caesar salad made table side and was also very good. It took the guy 5 full minutes to make the salad, carefully rubbing the wooden bowl with garlic. I also had the Mexican Lobster Bisque, which was loaded with large chunks of lobster and a lighter broth than a true bisque, and surprising me was pieces of avocado in the soup, which gave it a unique flavor. They made a top notch martini and had a vast wine list. This place is not cheap, to say the least, but well worth it. The personal service by dedicated waitstaff made the evening more memorable. I would not return to Cancun without going there.

Yummy Asian Ribs

Jersey Paulie was in Vegas last week and I went Roy"s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant 2 consecutive nights, because I had to have their ribs twice. Roy Namaguchi started in Hawaii many years ago and now has restaurants across the country. Wonderful sushi, fresh fish and even decent steaks. I've been to the Vegas place every year during my annual pilgrimage. I first met the wonderful ribs by ordering the appetizer canoe.

The Vegas canoe has 2 ribs, blackened ahi, shrimp sticks, lobster pot stickers, and a crispy spicy tuna roll. I love an assortment of appetizers, and the flavors really work well on this plate. The second night I returned I had the full portion of ribs, and the canoe and skipped an entree. When I got home, I had to try to recreate these delicious morsels. The waitstaff were helpful in telling me how they are made, and I made some modifications. I am a firm believer in the  "low & slow" cooking method when it comes to ribs. I was ready to buy the baby back ribs at the butcher, but they didn't look very meaty. I noticed some beef short ribs that were cross cut, and they were very nicely marbled and meaty, and decided to try them.  I cut them in pieces about 3" X 3" and generously applied a pork rub on all sides, and then put them in Ziploc for the night. The following day I layed them on a jelly roll pan (like a cookie sheet), and covered the top tightly with aluminum foil. I baked them in a 220 degree oven for 4 hours and removed them. I heated a Hoison Garlic Glaze (I used Soy Vay brand) in a small saucepan and dipped each rib piece entirely in the sauce and returned it to the baking pan. Then I baked it at 275 for another 30 minutes, which turned them almost black. I brushed a little more of the warm sauce on top and sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds on top of the sauce.
I usually prefer pork over beef, but the intense meaty flavor of short ribs was the perfect compliment to the sweet garlic taste of the sauce. Needless to say, my guests enoyed them.

Roy's pork ribs
I learned that there was a Roy's Hawaiin resaurant in N.Y.C., but it has since closed. The closest one to Jersey is Baltimore, and I plan to visit there soon, but at least I can make the ribs at home, and maybe try some new things on the menu when I get Baltimore.
Roy's Hawaiin Restaurant
620 East Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/index.asp