Zucchini, Cashews, & Clams Skewers

[kirra]

Zucchini, Cashews, & Clams Skewers

Ingredients:

1 zucchini
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
1 dozen clams, scrubbed clean
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
pinch ground cumin
1/2 cup cashews, toasted and ground

Preparation:

On a Japanese mandoline or with a chef’s knife, cut zucchini lengthwise into long thin strips. In a pan, combine the butter with generous pinches of salt and pepper along with 1 cup water, and bring to a boil. Add the clams, and when they have just begun to open, move the clams to one side of the pan, and add the zucchini to the other side. When clams are completely open, remove them from the water, discarding any clams that haven’t opened. Remove the zucchini, from the pan, reserving the cooking liquid, and lay the zucchini strips out on a cutting board. Remove the clams from their shells, and place one clam on each zucchini strip, and roll it up. Secure with a skewer, placing two clam-zucchini roll-ups on each skewer.

Add the cilantro and cumin to the cooking liquid, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced to glaze-like consistency. Pour the glaze into a small bowl, and pour the crushed cashews into a second small bowl. To serve, lay out the skewers on a serving platter, with the 2 bowls of glaze and cashews side by side. Dip each skewer into the glaze, then into the cashews to coat. Yield: 6 appetizers