The Hirshon Baked Clam Oreganata Dip

Citizens, as I noted in the previous post, I found out today that My dad is going into surgery tomorrow. While it is not a serious procedure, I am still concerned for him and as such am posting two recipes I typically go back to when I am stressed out.

When I was growing up as a child, this was My all-time favorite recipe – My mother only made it once a year or so, and it was what set Me down the path of true gourmandaise as I hungrily awaited that blessed day…

As noted on goodfoodstories.com, whose writer (like Me) is very fond of this style of retro goodness appetizer:

It’s the Feast of the Seven Fishes that brings clam dip to our table today. If you’re only familiar with the summery, seaside-inspired cold clam dips that feature copious amounts of sour cream and mayonnaise, I urge you to put the potato chips aside and pick up a few crackers or baguette slices for the wintertime clam dip counterpart. Blended with butter, bread crumbs, and herbs, this bubbling casserole takes its inspiration from those fancy baked clams oreganata, only without all the work of filling all the individual shells.

And boy, was butter a big deal in the the family recipe I grew up with—two whole sticks’ worth, to be exact. No wonder I loved it as a kid! Those clams were bobbing in a big old butter bath! While I was happy to avoid the fried smelts and alici (that would be the enormous bowl of spaghetti swimming in anchovies and olive oil) on the Christmas Eve dinner buffet, the clam dip was always served in the living room. It was the perfect location for a girl to stroll in and out, casually sneaking scoop after scoop until the casserole dish was depleted.

It’s truly delicious and I’ve updated the recipe from My mother (I believe she copied it from an old newspaper article back in the ’60s) to use fresh herbs and bread crumbs, as opposed to those that came out of a shaker or can. Please enjoy this recipe, Citizens, and remember to hug someone close to you today…

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Baked Clam Oreganata Dip

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 large cans or 3 small cans (about 18 ounces total) top-quality minced clams
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 onion, medium-sized
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with dried thyme, dried summer savory, salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp. minced chervil
• 10 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, minced
• 1/4 lb. butter
• Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Add lemon juice to the clams and their juice in a frying pan and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Blend onion, parsley, chervil, garlic and oregano to mush in the blender. Add some juice from the clams if needed (you probaly will).
3. Add the blender mixture plus the bread crumbs and 1/4 lb. of melted butter in a separate frying pan and saute for a few minutes until soft.
4. Get out a large oven-safe crock or pan – Combine contents of both frying pans into pan or crock and mix well – it should be semi-firm. You can freeze the mixture if you prefer (I never do) or sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake for 15-30 minutes at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly – serve with crackers.

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours

Nutrition

• Calories: 618.76 kcal
• Sugar: 2.83 g
• Sodium: 664.77 mg
• Fat: 28.19 g
• Saturated Fat: 16.06 g
• Trans Fat: 0.97 g
• Carbohydrates: 53.76 g
• Fiber: 14.36 g
• Protein: 43.82 g
• Cholesterol: 135.95 mg