One Pot Clam Bake a.k.a. Best Dinner Ever!

This was the best dinner I ever made. Seriously, it was that good. My mother-in-law first made a variation of this dish a few years back and I filed it in my mind under "dinners to try" and then forgot all about it. My wonderful husband reminded me about it when we found some Spanish chorizo at the grocery store. (Why is chorizo so hard to find in the Northeast?) This is super easy and versatile. I don't really measure anything when I cook, so this recipe is mostly by eye. You can add whatever you want. We kept it simple with clams and shrimp (without the shells, deveined, and cleaned). You can add kielbasa, sausage, mussels, scallops, lobster tails, crawfish, crab legs. Just be sure to add the ingredients that take longest to cook first and the ones take the least amount of time last. Get your bib on, cause this is very messy to eat! This is a perfect summer dinner, so hurry up and try this before the summer is over. Don't forget to pair this with an ice cold bottle of beer (we had Mexican beer to go with the chorizo) and crusty bread to soak up the broth. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp (with or without the shells)

50 clams

1 pound Spanish style chorizo, sliced into chunks

3 ears of corn, broken in half

1 - 2 pounds of red skinned potatoes (10 - 12)

1/4 - 1/2 bottle white wine (I used a Chardonnay that had hints of citrus)

1 and 1/2 - 2 cans chicken broth

3 - 4 tablespoons minced garlic

canola or olive oil (I used canola)

red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning

lemon wedges

melted butter

Directions:

Saute garlic, red pepper flakes, and oil in stock pot over high heat.

Add salt, pepper, and wine.

Reduce wine.

Add chicken broth, potatoes, and chorizo.

Cook about 10 - 15 minutes.

Add corn, clams, and Old Bay seasoning.

Cook 10 - 15 more minutes or until most of the clams open up.

Add shrimp and cook an additional 5 minutes. (depending on the type of shrimp used)

Serve with crusty bread, melted butter, and lemon wedges.