750 g Fresh baby clams or cockles
-in shell; cleaned
3 tb Extra virgin olive oil
1 cl Garlic; finely chopped
750 g Zucchini; roughly grated
1 Unwaxed lemon; finely grated
-zest and freshly squeezed
-juice of
1 tb Fresh marjoram; oregano, or
-nepitella; chopped
1 l Vegetable stock or water
4 sl Country bread; thick,
-toasted
1 cl Garlic; peeled and bruised
Extra virgin olive oil; to
-drizzle
Sea salt and freshly ground
-black pepper
Put the clams in a saucepan and set over a high heat. Cover and cook
for a few minutes until they open. Take off the heat, tip into a
colander placed over a bowl to catch the juices. Reserve the juice
and remove half the clams from their shells, keeping the remaining
clams in their shells.
Heat the olive oil in the same saucepan and add the garlic. Cook
gently until golden but not brown. Add the courgettes, lemon zest,
and marjoram and turn in the oil and garlic until coated. Pour in the
stock, season lightly and bring to a simmering point, cover and
simmer for about 10 minutes or until the courgettes are cooked. Add
the reserved class juices and the reserved clam meat. Taste and
season with salt and pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Gently stir
in the reserved clams in their shells and heat through.
To serve, rub the toasted bread with garlic, place a slice in each
bowl and ladle on the soup. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and
serve immediately.
Recipe by Flavours of Tuscany by Maxine Clark, 2006
