Ok I probably should have named this
Stiletto FAIL!
But not because of my genius preparation...because out of the 550g (19.4oz) cockles I bought, only about 75g (2.6oz) of them opened. I usually trust my fishmonger, but today, my smiling crazy brunette must have been off, and some slow unusual guy replaced her.. and he sold me some bad cockles!!
NOT a good start to Stiletto Night.
Fortunately, my evening was saved by a few things. Among them, an incredible Chabichou
a Poitou goat cheese with a nice firm center and gooey creamy outskirt, enveloped by a wrinkly pungent skin.
MmmMMmprrRrrRr (can you hear me purring from here?)
One of the other Stiletto-saving events of the evening is the blasting Pulp Fiction DVD IN ENGLISH I'm watching as I'm writing this... and the best part is all the lovely memories it brings back as if my best friends were right here next to me, sniffing my Chabichou breath as I recite the lines.. and dance to the Jack Rabbit Slim dance contest with Mia Wallace.
Si I decided to post this because my sauce was completely worth it. It's a Chinese-style stir-fry that rocked my world, and I will re-use with (fresh) clams or tellina, or mussels or even jackknives. Oh yes.. jackknives would go very very well with this business!
Serves 1
Ingredients
400-500g (1 lb) shellfish of your choice (I used cockles), soaked in saltwater for 2 hours and rinsed
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive or sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch ginger, grated
3 Tbsp chopped leek
2 Thai chiles, chopped (not for the weak)
1 Tbsp ShaoXing cooking wine
1 Tbsp ShaoXing cooking wine
1 tsp sesame seeds (I used black)
Directions
1. Don't forget to do that soaking in water with salt business. This is important for the shellfish to release their sand. You may want to change the water once during this time and be sure to remove any that are already opened.. those ones are dead.
2. Heat the oils in a wok or heavy based pan. Add the leeks and chile cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, then deglaze with the ShaoXing.
4. Add the rinsed and drained cockles. Cover and cook for about 6-8 minutes. After this time, they should have all opened wide to expose their inner selves. If they haven't.. throw them out and complain to your fishmonger.. which is what I'm going to do very very soon.
5. Add the sesame seeds and stir to mix.
Serve hot. Eat with fingers and tongue. Enjoy this experience as I was planning to.
Either way, console yourself with some excellent cheese... Please.
Oh and watch Pulp Fiction.
Next time, I'll be doing this to Moulin Rouge... aaah yes I love this idea!
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