CLAM LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Shuck the clams, and reserve the clams and juice. There should be about one and one-half cups of clams and about one and threequarter cups of juice to be used for a sauce. Set aside
• Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Add three-quarters of a cup of the milk, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Cook, stirring often, about five minutes.
• Crumble the crackers in a mixing bowl and add the sauce, stirring.
• Heat the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a separate saucepan, and add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is wilted.
• Put the clams on a flat surface and chop them finely with a knife. Add the clams to the cracker mixture. Add the cooked vegetables, the parsley and the pepper. Add the remaining milk and the eggs, and stir to blend.
• Butter a loaf pan measuring about 9 by 5 by 2 3/4 inches. Add the clam mixture and smooth over the top. Cover with foil and place in the oven.
• Bake 30 minutes and remove the foil. Continue baking 30 minutes longer. Spoon portions of the loaf onto serving plates and serve with clam sauce with Pernod or Ricard.