Weeks ago while planning meatless Friday meals, I bought a couple of cans of clams and some beautiful organic wheat pasta to make linguine with clam sauce. Initially the only thing troubling me about this meal was whether I was going to make white clam sauce or red clam sauce.
As someone who tries to eat very little flour in my meals, the idea of a big plate of pasta began troubling me. And, as someone who writes a blog on trying to cook and eat Mexican food each day, the idea became even more disturbing.
I got out one of my older cookbooks to look up clams - almejas in Spanish - and most of the recipes featured clams in their shells - steamed, in paella-like dishes, or in seafood soups or stews. Just as I was beginning to give up on the idea of using my canned clams for a Mexican meal, I came across this recipe, SOPA DE ALMEJAS from Baja California, México.
My initial excitement over this dish was due to the fact that the clams would be cooked in a broth with vegetables and not in a thick, creamy chowder like the American version. My second surprise came when I realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand and wouldn't have to run out to buy anything else. I also noticed that this recipe didn't include any kind of chiles in the cooking process which made it the ideal choice for our dinner last night while Mom is still here.
Preparation was easy as the ingredients are simple: olive oil, garlic, onions, celery, potatoes, chicken broth, canned clams and their juice, and either chopped parsley or cilantro. From start to finish it only took 30 minutes. The final surprise came when we ate it served with limes and sliced jalapeños. Now, this was no CALDO MICHI with lots of different flavors, textures and spices, but it was a very good soup on a cold Friday night, the last meatless Friday in Lent.
When I make it again, I will add carrots for color.
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