Clams Steamed in Wine with Parmesan Drizzle

Clams Steamed in Wine with Parmesan Drizzle

Pick one meal. The one that makes you swoon. You order it/request it/prepare it/would die for it meal. Clams Steamed in Wine with Parmesan Drizzle. That is my meal. The one I desire.

Serve the clams atop pasta with a side of focaccia to sope up the sauce and the rest of the wine left from cooking. My nirvana. Pretty dramatic, huh?

My reviewer family goobled up the focaccia (the recipe will be posted soon). Pasta is not a stretch around here. Another success. 4 out of the 5 are clam aficionados. An infatuation cultivated on our 4 year stint in southern California. My twist is a drizzle of a pseudo-alfredo sauce. Taking it to the next taste level. Only the 2 of us who are of age partook in the wine. Thumbs up from both of us.

Maybe this will become "The Meal" for you too.

Clams Steamed in Wine with Parmesan Drizzle

5 pounds cherystone clams (mine came from Costco for $2.99/lb.)
1/2 cup cornmeal

For Parmesan Drizzle:
4 tablespoons butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
salt

For Clams:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 vadalia onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup white wine
pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 large plum tomato, diced
red pepper flakes

8 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked and drained


Fill a large bowl with cold water. Add clams and cornmeal and let soak for about 30 minutes.

For Parmesan Drizzle:
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cream cheese and let melt for a couple minutes. Whisk to combine. This will take a few whisks around the pot. Add flour, milk, and half and half. Whisk to combine. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt. Cook until slightly thickened. Keep warm.

Drain clams and rinse off any cornmeal. Set aside. Heat a large pot to medium high. Add butter and olive oil and melt. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Deglaze pot with wine. Add clams and reduce heat to medium. Cook clams for 8 - 12 minutes or until all shells are open. Pour clams and any liquid into a large serving bowl and top with diced tomatoes, parsley, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

To serve, place some of the pasta in a shallow bowl. Top with about a dozen clams and the Parmesan Drizzle.