Last year Joey and I were out with a couple of friends having a glass of wine on the sidewalk when the restaurant's product truck pulled up and parked there on the street. One of our friends noticed they had Padrón Peppers and suggested to buy some and try them. Apparently, they were a great price. He said all we had to do is fry them up in a little olive oil, add some sea salt and eat them. Okay, right. Nothing is ever that easy! We bought some anyway because we were curious and can't resist a bargain even if we don't know what we are buying.
We took them home and, guess what? He was right! They are delicious and literally all we had to do is heat up some olive oil, throw them in the hot oil and take them out when they start having small while blisters on them. Then we sprinkled them with a little sea salt and served them with pita bread. YUM! We were hooked! However, there was a problem. We could not find these suckers anywhere! Finally, we found them at the Farmer's Market in the Ferry Building at the Happy Quail Farms Booth. Now we make special trips just to get these! They are only in season through the end of the month, so if you see them snatch them up. You will be hooked, too.
I got it in my head the other day that I wanted to have tapas - those wonderful little Spanish dishes that are packed with flavor. I decided I would make Croquettes and Steamed Clams. The Croquettes were one big chore to make so I will blog about them later. The clams, however, were not hard at all and they were surprisingly delicious.
Our favorite place to get steamed clams in at Anchor in Castro. This little place truly has the best and I really wanted to replicate that. I found a recipe in a 
cook book I have: Tapas: Sensational Small Plates from Spain by Joyce Goldstein. This recipe came quite close to Anchor and was fantastic. This meal was also really cheap. The clams only cost me about $8.00. I served them with a loaf of homemade bread from our new breadmaker. YUM!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small clams
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Dash of sherry vinegar (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- If clams are not cleaned, scrub them under cold water. If you have time you can soak them for 1 hour or so in cold salted water in a covered container in your refrigerator.
- In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and bread crumbs and saute for a few minutes
- Add the clams and then add the wine.
- Cover and cook until the clams open (about 3 - 6 minutes) shaking the pan occasionally.
- Remove from heat and discard any clams that have not opened.
- Add vinegar, if using, and transfer to a serving dish.
- Sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve immediately with bread.
