Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 kg clams
50 g pickled pork or unsmoked bacon in a piece
25 g lard
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 medium potato, diced
400 g canned chopped tomatoes
Salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
To serve: French bread

Methods:
Wash the clams in several changes of cold water, scrubbing if necessary, and discard any that are chipped, broken or already opened. Put the clams into a deep pan, add 600 ml of water, cover tightly and cook over a high heat for about 10 minutes until they open. Tip the clams into a colander set over a large bowl to catch the liquid, then strain this juice through a sieve lined with muslin. Retain the liquid. Shell the clams, discarding any that are closed and the empty shells. Chop the clam meat and set aside.

Dice the pork or bacon. Heat the lard in a pan then add the meat and fry gently until the fat is released and the cubes are crisp. Lift out the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Fry the onion and thyme in the lard and meat fat over a very gentle heat for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and transparent.

Add the diced pork, the potato, strained clam liquid and tomatoes and their juice. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Add the chopped clams and season to taste, then bring back to the boil. Transfer the soup to a heated tureen and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with crusty French bread.

** Asian Recipes **