Babe’s Clam Dip

BABE’S CLAM DIP, MAKES 2 CUPS

This is a modest, 1950s recipe, which my mother made as long as I can remember. No family reunion was complete unless Babe brought her clam dip. Mom always used cream cheese and probably thought it heresy to make it any other way, but hoop cheese (a West Coast term for Farmer Cheese or soft cottage cheese made with less than 1 percent fat) works too, although the texture is different. WIth cream cheese you get a stiffer dip that goes well with crackers or celery; with hoop cheese it ends up with a softer consistency.

 

Ingredients:

16 ounces of hoop cheese or farmer cheese, or 16 ounces of cream cheese

1 (12 ounce) can minced clams, drained (may used some of the clam juice)

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco

Paprika

 

Optional: small cherry tomatoes, scoop out, and fill with dip.

 

Steps

  1. Place the cheese of your choice in the blender or food processor. Add the drained minced clams and blend until smooth. If you need liquid, add some of the clam juice.
  2. When well blended, spike with as much Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce as you like.
  3. Refrigerate overnight so the flavors have a chance to penetrate. When the dip is room temperature and soft, fill tomatoes and sprinkle paprika on top.

This is a recipe from my book The Good Food Compendium - An indispensable guide to sensible nutrition and eating pleasures for those who care about fine fare and wholesome living.