Clam Bake " Stoup

GingerlyJ's Note:

I love Clambakes but they take forever. so when I saw Rachel Ray doing her quick version I quickly fell in love

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-10

Yield: 1.0 Pot

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ lb kielbasa , diced
• 4 cups half a 32-ounce bag frozen diced hash browns
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 4 celery ribs , chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 -6 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs large shrimp , peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (recommended ( Old Bay)
• 4 large ears corn on the cob
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 4 dozen littleneck clams
• hot sauce , to taste
• 1 lemon , zested and juiced
• handful fresh flat leaf parsley , chopped
• 4 jumbo sourdough English muffins , split
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 garlic clove , peeled

Directions:

1. Heat a large soup pot with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and brown for 2 minutes; add the potatoes, onions, celery, bay, thyme, and salt and pepper and let the veggies soften up 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Pat shrimp dry and toss with a rounded tablespoon (a generous palmful) of seafood seasoning.
3. Invert a small bowl and place at the bottom of a larger bowl. Shuck corn and stand on end on the small bowl. Scrape off kernels. Add corn to soup pot.
4. Add the tomatoes and stock to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and clams and replace the cover. Cook until shrimp are pink and firm and the clams have opened up, 5 to 6 minutes. Finish stoup with hot sauce, lemon zest and juice and a handful of parsley.
5. While the seafood cooks, toast the English muffins. Soften the butter in the microwave. Mash the garlic cloves with a little salt and make a paste. Add the chives and garlic paste to the softened butter and mix. Rub hot toasted muffins with garlic/butter mixture and chop into large dice.
6. Serve stoup in shallow bowls with muffin croutons. Place an extra bowl at each setting to collect shells as you eat your Clam Bake Stoup.