Don't Hate on Costco--Their Clams Ain't Bad

Okay, it's only the two of us in the house, and we don't eat mayo or peanut butter in any large quantity (or really at all for that matter). So why do we go to Costco? For the wine, meat, and occasional cheese. That's right, you heard me, we buy wine there. If there are any wine lovers out there, if you know your stuff, you can find really good prices at this food warehouse. After all, Costco was the upmarket answer to Sam's Club. However proletareate the idea of bulk food is, they somehow have knowledgeable buyers that seek out premium products.

Anyhoo, as for cheese, it's not bad. They have a large variety, some artesenal (not as good as the stuff you'd find at boutiques) but much more everyday table cheese. They work if you eat them very regularly, as we do most nights before dinner. We've purchased good Compte, Parmegianno, and herbed goat varieties there. (By the way, we did buy a great Coolea and Garanzia from Cowgirl Creamery--more on that in another post.)

And then there's the proteins. We almost always try to pick up a few racks of lamb, pork tenderloin, or even tuna. We generally seperate and freeze them for later use. Like I've mentioned in previous posts, if you keep your pantry (and freezer) stocked full of goodies, you don't have to go grocery shopping very often (and won't be stuck having to eat chicken and cream cheese casseroles).

Well, when we went this past weekend to pick up some other odds and ends (like whole grain cereal--which Mr. Roganista goes through like there's no tomorrow), we spotted some fresh clams.

Clams, like crabs, remind me of summer time. I scrubbed them, sauteed them in some olive oil with garlic and onion. Added some chicken stock and Sauv Blanc, simmered them for about 15 minutes. Then tossed in some fresh diced tomatoes (picked from Hollin farm the other weekend) and whatever herbs I had on hand (Greek basil and parsely from the potted garden). Served over linguini, it was a quick and delicious dish!

These were good quality clams. They all opened up...meaning none were dead. They tasted sweet and not too fishy. Surprisingly fresh and tender.

We ate them on the deck and watched the sunset. Summer is slipping away....