Spicy Tomato + Clam Soup

I'm not a big cookbook collector.  I don't have a lot of space on my cookbook shelf in my kitchen, so usually, I'm really selective about what I choose to buy.  Every now and then, though, I stumble across a book that I just have to have, which is what happened to me yesterday when I saw donna hay Seasons at anthropologie.  This book, I tell you, is devastatingly beautiful.  I mean, whenever I see a Donna Hay Magazine, I have this urge to crawl into its pages and just live there, so imagine it all collected into a single book.  Also, the first recipe that I just happened to flip to in the store was for a spicy tomato and clam broth, and if I have a weakness for any homemade savory food, it's for seafood soup.

This broth is so deliciously good--tomato-y and garlic-y and clammy, especially when soaked into hunks of crusty bread.  I added in a dash of lemon juice and pimenton spice at the end, and it just opens of the flavors so much more with a hint more spice and a bit of fresh tartness.  And, I couldn't believe how incredibly fast and easy it was!  I think all told, it probably took me less than 30 minutes to put together, which is wonderful in my book for a simple but splendid weeknight dinner.

Thank you all so, so much for your awesome cake submissions!  I'm slowly going through them now and consulting with my closest foodie friends and will announce winners in the coming week.



Read on for recipe....

Spicy Tomato + Clam Soup
adapted from Donna Hay's Seasons
makes enough for 4 (= 1 big pot!)

2 cups fish stock
4 cups water
2 Tbspn olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes
6 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
2.2 lbs (1 kg) fresh clams
1/2 cup couscous
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tspn smoked paprika (opt.)
cilantro (opt.)
lemon (opt.)

1. In a pot, heat the fish stock and water.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the red pepper flakes begin to pop, or you begin to smell the heat.
3. Add the tomatoes to the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until completely tender.
4. Add the white wine and heated fish stock and water. Cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, add the clams. Cover with the lid and let cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until the clams have opened. Discard any unopened clams. (which shouldn't happen if your fish guy carefully picked good clams for you like mine did!)
6. Remove the pot from heat and sprinkle in the couscous. Cover with lid and let sit about 5 more minutes until the couscous is cooked.
7. Salt and pepper to taste (you probably won't need any salt, just pepper), and stir in the smoked paprika, if using.
8. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, and top with a drizzle of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Note: my local grocery store was out of fish stock, so I used a combination of vegetable and chicken stock instead.

Enjoy!