Spicy Clams

I haven’t been cooking much, so my Cuban oreganos have been growing uncontrollably. To give them a little trim, I decided to cook my favorite thing to eat in the entire world—clams! I love clams so much that I would be content to eat them simply steamed. But in order to put my oregano to good use and have some yummy sauce to go with the hot baguette, I opted to cook them with Mediterranean ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 20 little neck clams
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• a pat butter
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 fresh serrano chili pepper, sliced
• 1 tsp Turkish Aleppo pepper flakes (pul biber)
• 2 big cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vermouth
• a handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• a handful fresh Cuban oregano, chopped

Soak clams in cold salt water for an hour in the fridge to remove sand. Drain and keep in fridge until ready to cook.

Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan and fry the onions until slightly golden. Add chili, pepper flakes and garlic and toss until fragrant.

Add water and clams and cover with lid until clams open. Remove lid and add vermouth and fresh herbs. Cook over a low heat for a couple more minutes to reduce the liquid.

Serve immediately with some slices of fresh-baked bread.