Thursday, June 30, 2011

Spicy Tomato + Clam Soup



I'm not a big cookbook collector.  I don't have a lot of space on my cookbook shelf in my kitchen, so usually, I'm really selective about what I choose to buy.  Every now and then, though, I stumble across a book that I just have to have, which is what happened to me yesterday when I saw donna hay Seasons at anthropologie.  This book, I tell you, is devastatingly beautiful.  I mean, whenever I see a Donna Hay Magazine, I have this urge to crawl into its pages and just live there, so imagine it all collected into a single book.  Also, the first recipe that I just happened to flip to in the store was for a spicy tomato and clam broth, and if I have a weakness for any homemade savory food, it's for seafood soup.


This broth is so deliciously good--tomato-y and garlic-y and clammy, especially when soaked into hunks of crusty bread.  I added in a dash of lemon juice and pimenton spice at the end, and it just opens of the flavors so much more with a hint more spice and a bit of fresh tartness.  And, I couldn't believe how incredibly fast and easy it was!  I think all told, it probably took me less than 30 minutes to put together, which is wonderful in my book for a simple but splendid weeknight dinner.


Thank you all so, so much for your awesome cake submissions!  I'm slowly going through them now and consulting with my closest foodie friends and will announce winners in the coming week.



Read on for recipe....

Spicy Tomato + Clam Soup
adapted from Donna Hay's Seasons
makes enough for 4 (= 1 big pot!)

2 cups fish stock
4 cups water
2 Tbspn olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes
6 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
2.2 lbs (1 kg) fresh clams
1/2 cup couscous
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tspn smoked paprika (opt.)
cilantro (opt.)
lemon (opt.)

1. In a pot, heat the fish stock and water.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the red pepper flakes begin to pop, or you begin to smell the heat.
3. Add the tomatoes to the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until completely tender.
4. Add the white wine and heated fish stock and water. Cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, add the clams. Cover with the lid and let cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until the clams have opened. Discard any unopened clams. (which shouldn't happen if your fish guy carefully picked good clams for you like mine did!)
6. Remove the pot from heat and sprinkle in the couscous. Cover with lid and let sit about 5 more minutes until the couscous is cooked.
7. Salt and pepper to taste (you probably won't need any salt, just pepper), and stir in the smoked paprika, if using.
8. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, and top with a drizzle of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Note: my local grocery store was out of fish stock, so I used a combination of vegetable and chicken stock instead.


Enjoy!

12 comments:

  1. What a stunning bowl of soup! I'm so jealous, even at 10am :)

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  2. I love collecting beautiful cookbooks, and Anthropologie always seems to select the most beautiful ways. I just got "Campfire Cookery" from them, and I'm loving it. I would like a bowl of this soup right now for lunch!

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  3. I need to go into Anthro and get Donna's book.

    But a trip into Anthro is very, very dangerous :)

    Lovely pics, love all the wood underneath things. I need more wood, too!

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  4. This soup looks so simple and so lovely! That cookbook sounds fantastic, too. Guess I'm going to have to plan a trip to Anthropologie--not that that's ever a chore! :D

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  5. I want to dive into that gourmet soup stat!! I LOVE the cover of that cookbook, the soup looks hardy, yet light, and it won't break my calories.

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  6. Oh what beautiful photos! Well done!

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  7. yum! I want :) Love clams. I will also have to check out that book.

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  8. Haha. I've found books like that. Baked... Sky High... Sometimes it's so hard to resist! This soup sounds super tasty. Can't wait to see the results of the cake thingamajig!

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  9. Now I'm hungry. Must. Resist. Temptation.

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  10. This looks unbelievable. Mmmmmm.

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  11. I need to go into Anthro and get Donna's book.

    But a trip into Anthro is very, very dangerous :)

    Lovely pics, love all the wood underneath things. I need more wood, too!

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  12. What a stunning bowl of soup! I'm so jealous, even at 10am :)

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I love hearing from you and reading your comments! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. Happy feasting!