I speak, of course, of vampires.
Our culture has been overrun with vampires of late. This happens periodically. Not sure why werewolf books, movies and TV shows do not have the same following.
We go through a lot of garlic in this house and I am proud to say that we do not have a single vampire attack among us. We put garlic in virtually everything and even serve it in olive oil as a condiment at the table. On those "garlic and oil" nights I often suspect an outbreak of vampirism. Everyone at social events struggles in talking with us until they run screaming to wash out their eyes and gulp oxygen from a tank.
But, they don't bite.
Clams Diavolo features garlic, and then more garlic. There's a couple clams in there as well. The Diavolo sauce can basically go with anything. I often use it with fresh mussels, but it could also go with grilled shrimp, chicken or what have you. On this particular night, dinner needed to be quick so I just opened up a few cans of clams I had in the pantry (and yes, fresh clams would be hoitier and toitier if you have them). The croutons help make the meal, so be extra careful not to burn them under the broiler. For me, "extra careful" equates to having my wife see to the croutons.
1 baguette, sliced into half-inch rounds
1 wife willing to make sure they don't get burned
For the sauce:
2 or 3 slices pancetta (Italian bacon), sliced into small dice
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Half a small onion cut into small dice
As much garlic as you can stand (I use about two bulbs, depending on size)
About a half cup or so of white wine
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3 cans minced clams
Fresh herbs (I use basil and oregano)
Let the wine cook until almost dry and then add the tomatoes with their juices. Stir it and cook just long enough for the tomatoes to blend in and the juices to reduce a bit. In truth, this will make more a "diavolo broth" than a sauce but that's what you want in this rendition. If you're ultimately putting this with pasta or something like that, you want to cook it down to a saucier consistency.
Finish it with the herbs and then toss in your clams and heat through.
Serve the broth in a bowl with the croutons on the side. Sprinkle some of the crisp bacon over the broth at the table. Scoop up the broth, clams, bacon and garlic on your croutons and enjoy. Then you can go trick or treating with no worries.
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