Rhode Island’s Date of Statehood – May 29th, 1790
Rhode Island may be small, but it packs quite a seafood wallop! They have an annual seafood festival that celebrates all that the ocean has to offer including clams! So, we had to try a Rhode Island seafood staple, the STUFFIE. Alongside our stuffed clams we will also celebrate the Italian heritage of Rhode Islanders with spinach pies. And lastly, we pay homage to the fertile ground with some tender braised carrots. Rhode Island may be small, but it is mighty! Mighty tasty!
Tips and Tricks
- Quahog clams are traditional for Stuffies. However, these large clams can be hard to find outside of New England. So, any large clams can be used. I used Mahogany Clams.
- Here is how to choose, store, and clean clams:
- Never select a clam that is already open or chipped, broken, or damaged in any way. When you tap a clam’s shell, it should react and begin to close. Make sure to immediately unwrap them at home, so they can breathe, and store them in a cool area.
- Soak your clams for 20 minutes in fresh water just before cooking. As the clams breathe, they filter water. When the fresh water is filtered, the clam pushes salt water and sand out of their shells. After 20 minutes, the clams will have cleaned themselves of much of the salt and sand they have collected. Instead of pouring the clams and water into a strainer, pull the clams out of the water. Sand has sunk to the bottom of the bowl; pouring the water into a strainer will pour it back over the clams.
- Once the clams have been soaked, use a firm brush and scrub off any additional sand, barnacles, or other oceanic attachments.
- Clams will open once cooked. Discard any clams that don’t open.
- You can make your own pizza dough, but most grocery stores sell refrigerated pizza dough in the deli section which will work just fine for these recipes.
- When cooking with wine, buy a kind of wine that you want to drink. It doesn’t make sense to cook with a wine you don’t like the flavor of, since that is what you are imparting to your food.
- Be advised that, while most of the alcohol in wine will cook out, it will never be ALL gone. So, please be aware that if you choose to cook with wine or any other alcohol, it will NEVER be 100% alcohol free. This is important to know for anyone with religious or health related alcohol restrictions.
Rhode Island Style Stuffed Clams (Stuffies)
Serves 4
- 1 Bag (about 2 lbs.) of Quahog or Other Large Clam, soaked in fresh water for 20 minutes and scrubbed
- 6 Cups Water
- 1/4 Cup Butter
- 1/2 Link of Linguiça Sausage, finely chopped
- 1/2 Yellow Onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Stalk of Celery, root and leaves removed and finely chopped
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 Small Baguette, stale and chopped in coarse breadcrumbs (3 Cups)
- 2 tsp Fresh Thyme, leaves only chopped
- 1 Tbs Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Lemon, cut into wedges for serving
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2: Place the clams in a large pot and add the 6 cups of water. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Once the water starts to bubble, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the clams are open, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
Step 3: With a slotted spoon, remove the cooked clams from the water and set them aside in a large bowl to cool. Reserve the clam cooking liquid. Discard any clams that are not opened.
Step 4: Once the clams are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells. Finely chop the clam meat and set aside. Pull apart the clam shells and place them, smooth side up, in neat rows on an aluminum foil lined pan.
Step 5: Place a large skillet with high sides on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the butter and allow it to melt. When the butter has melted, add the finely chopped sausage. Cook the sausage in the butter for 2 minutes, or until the sausage crisps and releases its reddish oil. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked sausage from the pan and allow it to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 6: Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables in the hot oil and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Once they are soft, remove the pan from the heat.
Step 7: Add the chopped clam meat, cooked sausage, breadcrumbs, thyme, and 1 Cup of the reserved clam cooking liquid to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat and fold to combine all of the ingredients. Cook this for about 1 minute, until everything is heated through. The stuffing should be moist enough to hold together if pressed. If it is too dry, add small amounts of the remaining clam broth until the stuffing is just moist, not wet. Once the stuffing is heated through and a good consistency, add the parsley, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Step 8: Divide the stuffing among the clam shells press it lightly into mounds (about 1/4 cup or less.) Bake the stuffies in a hot oven for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and sizzling.
Step 9: Once cooked, divide the stuffed clams among the serving plates and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Spinach Pies
Serves 4
- 1 lb. Pizza Dough
- 2 9 oz. Boxes of Frozen Spinach, thawed with all extra water pressed out
- 1/3 Cup Sliced Black Olives, drained
- 3 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
- 3 Tbs Olive Oil
- 6 oz Fresh Mozzarella, sliced into 4 rounds
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, to brush on the dough
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, black olives, garlic, 3 Tbs olive oil, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough out in a rectangle until it is very thin. Divide the dough into 4 equal smaller rectangles.
Step 4: Take 1/4 of the spinach filling and place it in the middle of one of the dough portions. Spread the filling out, leaving 1 inch of dough uncovered all along the edges. Place a portion of mozzarella cheese in the center of the spinach filling. Then, carefully take one of the short sides of dough and fold into over until it meets the other short side of dough. Press or twist the dough together along the edges to seal the spinach pie into a turnover or calzone shape.
Step 5: Place the pies on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough all over with olive oil.
Step 6: Bake in a hot oven for 14-15 minutes, or until the tops turn golden brown.
Step 7: Serve hot.
Braised Carrots
Serves 4
- 2 lbs. Young Carrots, scrubbed and greens trimmed
- 3 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 Cup Dry White Wine (I used a good Pinot Grigio)
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed
- 4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 6 Whole Black Peppercorns
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375
Step 2: Place the carrots in a single layer in a roasting pan.
Step 3: Add the vegetable stock, white wine, smashed garlic, black peppercorns, salt and ground pepper to the carrots. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and place in a hot oven.
Step 4: Cook for 1 hour, or until the carrots are very tender.
Step 5: Remove the carrots from the liquid and serve warm, with some braising liquid drizzled over them.
Fun Facts about Rhode Island: 1. Rhode Island is the smallest state in size in the United States. It covers an area of 1,214 square miles. Its distances North to South are 48 miles and East to West 37 miles. 2. Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen colonies to become a state. 3. Judge Darius Baker imposed the first jail sentence for speeding in an automobile on August 28, 1904 in Newport. 4. The first circus in the United States was in Newport in 1774. 5. The era know as The Industrial Revolution started in Rhode Island with the development and construction in 1790 of Samuel Slater’s water-powered cotton mill in Pawtucket. 6. Rhode Island founder Roger Williams established the First Baptist Church in America in 1638. The existing structure was built in 1775. 7. The Touro Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in North America. Built in 1763 the synagogue houses the oldest torah in North America.
Edible U.S. 