Grilled Clams With Smoked Chili Cachucha Mojo And Bacon Food

GRILLED CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH BACON, GARLIC, AND HOT PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat grill to high.
• Place a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly golden brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the bacon is crisp. Remove from the heat, stir in the olive oil, parsley, and bread crumbs and season with black pepper, to taste.
• Top clams with bacon mixture and place on the grill. Grill for about 1 minute or until just cooked through. Serve immediately.

GRILLED LITTLENECK CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
• Place clams on the upper shelf of the grill (not directly on the grilling surface). Close grill lid and cook until shells start to pop open and clam juice inside starts to sizzle, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and serve.

LINGUINE WITH GRILLED CLAMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas), leaving about one third of grill free of coals (or, for a gas grill, shutting off one or two burners); see Grilling Procedure .
• Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Stir together oil, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and lemon juice in foil pan and put on grill over area with no coals.
• Grill clams on grill rack over coals, turning with tongs, until they open, 3 to 7 minutes, transferring as opened to foil pan and being careful not to spill their juices. (Discard any clams that remain unopened after 7 minutes.)
• Cook linguine in a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.
• Toss pasta with bacon, parsley, contents of foil pan, and salt and pepper to taste.

WHITE CHEESE PIZZA WITH GRILLED CORN AND WOOD SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven with pizza stone to 475 degrees F for 30 minutes.
• Gently stretch dough to 11-inches in diameter. Place dough on pizza peel dusted with semolina to prevent sticking. Top dough with the Cheddar and brie cheese. Scatter corn, bacon and parsley leaves. Sprinkle pizza with olive oil then Romano. Slide pizza onto hot stone in oven. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until golden, cut into 6 slices and serve on warm plate.

GRILLED CLAMS WITH LEMON-CAYENNE BUTTER

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle, or on a cutting board using flat part of a knife, mash together garlic and salt until a paste forms. Scrape paste into a small bowl and stir in butter, lemon juice and cayenne. Taste and make sure salt and lemon are balanced.
• Preheat grill. Place clams directly on grill grate or on a large baking pan in a single layer. Cover grill and let clams cook for 2 minutes. Open grill and check clams, using tongs to remove any that have opened, and transfer them to a large bowl. Be careful not to spill clams' juices when transferring them. Close grill lid and check every 30 seconds, removing clams as they open.
• Pour lemon-cayenne butter over clam bowl and toss lightly. Serve hot, garnished with chives.

CLAM AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups water and the vermouth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the clams, cover and cook until they start opening, 4 to 10 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a bowl using tongs. (Discard any unopened clams.) Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon starts to crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the spring onions, sliced celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the pan; cook, stirring, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Slowly add the reserved clam cooking liquid, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the clams to the saucepan (remove from the shells and chop, if desired); add the peas. Cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the half-and-half. Top with celery leaves and serve with the baguette.

GRILLED CLAMS WITH FRIED GARLIC

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for direct grilling over high heat.
• Lightly brush the clams on both sides with olive oil. Arrange them on the grate, cover and cook until the shells pop open, 3 to 6 minutes. (You could grill the clams on aluminum foil to catch juices.)
• Pour the lemon juice into a baking dish large enough to hold the clams in one layer. Transfer the clams to the dish with tongs, trying not to spill the juices.
• Heat 3/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet on the grill. When hot, add the garlic and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pepper flakes, and stir for 15 seconds. Pour this over the clams.
• Transfer the clams to 4 deep bowls. Whisk the juices in the baking dish for 1 minute and pour over the clams.

SAUTEED POTATOES WITH SMOKED SLAB BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the potatoes in the basket of a vegetable steamer. Steam until a sharp paring knife easily enters the flesh, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the potatoes. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are golden brown. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. This last step renders the potatoes crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. A few minutes before the potatoes are ready, saute the bacon (or pancetta) over medium-high heat until golden. When the potatoes are ready, add the bacon, sprinkle with the chives and coarse salt; transfer to a serving dish or onto individual plates.

VENISON LOIN WITH SWEET POTATO, PEARL ONIONS, AND SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a small heavy saucepan, adding the pod also. Add the sugar, water, ginger, and zest and bring to a boil to make a syrup. Place diced sweet potatoes in a medium skillet, pour syrup over top, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Alternatively, place diced sweet potato in a casserole dish, drizzle syrup over, and cook in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Set aside and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sugar and cook very gently until onions are golden brown. Add chicken stock, a little at a time, to deglaze pan, and continue cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated and the onions are tender. Set aside and keep warm.
• In another nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until edges start to become golden brown. Set aside and keep warm.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add venison and sear meat on all sides until golden brown. Add 1 tablespoon butter and continue to cook until meat is medium-rare. Remove meat from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut each piece into 3 slices.
• To the skillet, add the bacon, sweet potato, and pearl onions, and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until warmed through. Scatter parsley over top. Plate by placing a small pile of potato mixture just off-center on each of 4 plates. Fan venison slices across plate and drizzle any leftover pan juices on top of the meat.