The Ancestral Table: Traditional Recipes for a Paleo Lifestyle (31 page)

3. Gently place the clams in the stockpot with a slotted spoon. Cover and steam on high heat until the clams open, 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Keeping as much wine sauce in the stockpot as possible, take out the clams with tongs, place in a large bowl, and set aside. Add the cream, parsley, pepper, and the remaining 4 Tbsp. butter to the wine sauce and simmer over medium heat until the butter has melted, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the sauce over the clams and serve.

New England Clambake

Clambakes have been prepared along the New England coast for hundreds of years, usually by heating stones in a fire, placing seafood over the rocks using layers of seaweed, and leaving the food to steam for several hours. Since beach fires are increasingly prohibited, many chefs have taken to re-creating clambakes in large pots at home, to the point that this method has become the norm.

This dish typically includes corn on the cob, but I’ve found that sautéed squash adds the same touch of sweetness without the dubious nutritional profile of corn. Adding steamed artichokes to the meal adds another flavorful dynamic.

SERVES:
6
PREP TIME:
40 MINUTES
COOKING TIME:
45 MINUTES

4 LBS. LIVE CLAMS (~50)

JUICE OF 1 LEMON

4 ARTICHOKES

1 TBSP. OLD BAY SEASONING

1/2 TBSP. KOSHER SALT

1/2 CUP WHITE WINE

6 SMOKED SAUSAGES, CUT INTO 1 1/2" CHUNKS

8 RED POTATOES, QUARTERED

2 LBS. RAW, SHELL-ON SHRIMP

2 TBSP. BUTTER

2 MEDIUM YELLOW SQUASH, SLICED

2 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI, SLICED

SALT AND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE

1. Scrub the clams with a stiff brush and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse again.

2. Add 1" water and the lemon juice to a stockpot lined with a steamer basket. Rinse the artichokes, cut 1/2" off each top, and cut the stems so that they are nearly flush with the bottom edge of the leaves. Place the artichokes in the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and steam until the outer leaves pull easily from the artichokes, about 30 minutes.

3. Combine the Old Bay seasoning and kosher salt. Pour the wine into a large stockpot and line it with the sausages. Loosely wrap the clams in cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel and place over the sausage. Add the potatoes and sprinkle half of the Old Bay seasoning mixture on top. Add the shrimp and sprinkle with the rest of the seasoning. Steam on high for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the shrimp is pink and curled.

4. As the other ingredients steam, melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the squash and sauté until slightly softened, about 3 minutes, flipping occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve the seafood, artichokes, and squash directly on the table covered with brown kraft paper or newspaper. Serve with melted butter (mixed with garlic for extra kick) and Mayonnaise (
see here
).

New England Clam Chowder

Chowder get its name from the French word chaudière (“kettle” or “pot”), which in turn is derived from the Latin caldāria (“cauldron”). There’s quite a rivalry between the white, creamy New England clam chowder and the clear, tomato-based Manhattan clam chowder—in fact, a bill was introduced into the Maine legislature in 1939 attempting to make it illegal to add tomatoes to clam chowder.

It wasn’t until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s that Catholics were permitted to eat meat on Fridays (the abstinence period has been reduced to Lent). To provide a seafood option to Catholics, restaurants across the country served clam chowder on Fridays, and the tradition remains today.

SERVES:
6
PREP TIME:
40 MINUTES
COOKING TIME:
45 MINUTES

5-7 LBS. LIVE CLAMS (~50)

3 CUPS WATER

2 (6.5 OZ.) CANS MINCED CLAMS, JUICE RETAINED

6 OZ. BACON (6 STRIPS) OR SALT PORK, COARSELY CHOPPED

1 MEDIUM ONION, FINELY CHOPPED

2 TBSP. WHITE RICE FLOUR

3 MEDIUM RUSSET POTATOES, PEELED AND CUT INTO 3/4" CUBES

1 BAY LEAF

1 CUP HEAVY CREAM

BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE (~1 TSP.)

1 SMALL HANDFUL FRESH PARSLEY, CHOPPED

1. Scrub the clams with a stiff brush and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse again. Place in a stockpot with 3 cups water and steam on high heat for about 4 minutes or until the clams are just slightly open. With tongs, remove the clams and transfer them to a bowl to cool; pour out and reserve all the liquid from the clams along with the water used to steam them. Once the clams are cool, pry the shells open and remove the clam meat (cut it out with a paring knife if needed). Chop the clams into thirds and mix them with the canned clams. Add the juice from the canned clams to the rest of the reserved liquid.

2. In the same stockpot, sauté the chopped bacon or salt pork on medium heat until crispy, about 6 minutes, then add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and sauté until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, and the reserved clam liquid. (Don’t pour in the last of the liquid if it looks gritty.) Simmer on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Do not overcook.

3. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the cream and clam meat. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add pepper to taste, and salt if needed. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes

Crab cakes originated in colonial America and are still most prevalent in the Chesapeake region, especially Maryland. Today, you can commonly find two types in Maryland: boardwalk crab cakes (fried and served in buns) and restaurant crab cakes (broiled or fried and served on open-faced sandwiches or on their own). These crab cakes embody the Maryland restaurant cakes my family has come to love during our time living in the Baltimore area—with no fillers other than a few ingredients to accent the crab and keep it all together. This is a crab lover’s crab cake.

SERVES: 4
PREP TIME:
35 MINUTES
COOKING TIME:
20 MINUTES

1 TBSP. ALMOND MEAL

1 TBSP. COCONUT FLOUR

5 TBSP. MAYONNAISE (
SEE HERE
)

1 EGG YOLK

2 TSP. WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE

1 1/2 TSP. OLD BAY SEASONING, PLUS EXTRA FOR SERVING

1 TSP. YELLOW MUSTARD

1 TSP. LEMON JUICE

1 LB. JUMBO LUMP BLUE CRAB MEAT (DUNGENESS IS OKAY), DRAINED

1 LEMON, CUT INTO SLICES

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the crab meat and lemon slices. Gently mix in the crab with your hands, then form into 4 baseball-sized balls. Put the cakes on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to help retain their round shape.

2. Rearrange your oven racks so that one rack is near the top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F, then set the oven to broil. Place the crab cakes on the top rack and broil for 5 minutes or until the tops start to turn brown and crispy. Reset the temperature to 425°F and bake for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the crab cakes reaches 160°F. Serve with lemon slices and extra pinches of Old Bay seasoning.

Nabemono

Nabemono, also known simply as nabe, is a Japanese hot pot stew. Guests cook the ingredients in a stoneware pot on the dining table using a portable stove. It’s a fun way to eat a variety of foods, and each person can tailor their bowl to suit their tastes. While the dish consists mainly of vegetables, seafood is commonly included; thinly sliced beef works as well. It is traditionally cooked in a stoneware pot, but a saucepan can also be used. As long as the food tastes good, your guests won’t mind.

There are several different forms of nabe. Chankonabe is typically made with huge quantities of chicken, fish, tofu, and cabbage; sumo wrestlers eat it to gain weight. Sukiyaki uses thinly sliced beef and is eaten with a raw egg dip. Oden is a winter dish that includes hard-boiled eggs, daikon radish, and fish cakes.

Making your own soup broth (dashi) for this dish is a rewarding experience, and the broth can be used in a variety of dishes (like my Steamed Eggs recipe,
see here
). Dashi can be made up to 5 days in advance. Mixing in some homemade Fish Stock (
see here
), rice wine, and tamari adds even more complexity to the broth. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients, such as shrimp, Siu Yuk (
see here
), rice noodles, potato, daikon radish, or kabocha squash.

SERVES:
4 (VARIES BASED ON INGREDIENTS)
PREP TIME:
1 HOUR (TO MAKE THE DASHI)
COOKING TIME:
20 MINUTES

DASHI:

4 CUPS WATER

12 SQUARE INCHES DRIED KOMBU SEAWEED (ABOUT 1/2 OZ.)

1/2 CUP LOOSELY PACKED KATSUOBUSHI (JAPANESE BONITO FLAKES, FROM SKIPJACK TUNA)