Stuffed Clams with Speck

Begin by cleaning and rinsing clams in a large bowl with cold water. Get rid of any grit or sand. After rinsing them, begin preparing the steaming liquid. In a large pot, add olive oil, garlic, red pepper, salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Cook briefly until the garlic is slightly golden. Add the white wine and water and bring to a boil. Put the clams in the liquid, cover them and lower the heat. Simmer gently until the clams have opened.

Once they opened, turn off the heat and let them cool in the pot while you prepare the stuffing. Do not throw out the liquid!

For the stuffing, in a medium pan, add the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook until the garlic is slightly golden.

Add the chopped speck and cook until it is crispy. You will notice that the speck will get darker as it gets crispier. Add the bread crumbs and parsley. Cook until the crumbs are slightly toasted. Add the Parmigiana, wine and clam liquid. Turn off the heat.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil.

Take the clams out of the shell and roughly chop them. Add the clams to the stuffing mix. Do not put the heat back on; you do not want to overcook the clams. Stuff the shells with the clam stuffing and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy immediately with a fine glass of white wine. Buon appetito!