Clams Casino

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper and a pinch of cayenne
• pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 5 strips double cut bacon -- partially cooked
• 24 topneck clams on the half shell -- arranged on a bed
• of rock salt

Preparation:

• Saute the peppers, shallots and garlic in a medium saute pan briefly in 2 tablespoons of the butter to soften slightly (1 minute maximum).
• Season this mixture with salt, cayenne and fresh pepper and remove to a plate to cool off.
• Blend the butter, the cooled off vegetables, parsley and lemon juice in a bowl.
• Dab a generous amount of this butter mix on each clam, sprinkle with fresh bread crumbs and top with a small piece of bacon.
• Run under the broiler to heat the clams and brown the bacon. You could also bake the clams in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes to obtain the same result.