Clambake Quesadillas

Clambake Quesadillas

This past weekend I bought a bag of clams at our local farmers market. With them I made spaghetti alle vongole, one of my favorite meals. Since then I’ve been noodling on a clams second verse, and this morning, quesadillas came to mind! On my way home from dropping my boys off at school, I stopped by the store. A mind map exercise led me somewhere like this: I love clams plus...ooh, look fresh corn. Clams and corn! I also love corn and scallions, and bacon with all those things. So, I added those fixings -fresh corn is here! finally!- to my cart and then spent a hefty amount of time in the cheese aisle to get to just the right combo. Ultimately I chose Monterrey Jack and Asiago Fresco, a younger, softer version of its Asiago kin. These are great- the corn and scallions pop brightly in both taste and color, while the clams and bacon sing quietly but critically in the background. Delicious!

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Italian Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Italian Ham and Cheese Sandwich

In Italy, we ordered an appetizer of small rolls of bread (hot! salty! slicked in olive oil!) served with prosciutto and melted stracchino, in Italian cheese that is wonderful. Though I don't like ham and often dislike cured hams like prosciutto, too, this dish was incredible. Here's my version. Fabulous!

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