Hot Baked Clam Dip - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 large round loaf unsliced French, Italian, pumpernickel or other crusty bread
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 (6.5 oz.) cans chopped clams, drained (reserve 1/4 c. liquid)
3 Tbsp. grated onion
3 Tbsp. beer
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce or to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
parsley for garnish
raw vegetables for dipping

Preparation

Using a sharp knife, cut top from bread and set aside. Hollow out loaf, leaving 1 1/2 to 2 inch thick shell. Cut removed bread in cubes and set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in clams with reserved liquid, onion, beer, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce and salt. On a baking sheet, crisscross 2 sheets of aluminum foil, each long enough to cover bread. Center bread shell on foil and fill with clam mixture. Cover with bread top and wrap loaf with foil. Bake in preheated 250\u00b0 oven 3 hours. Transfer loaf to large serving platter. Arrange toasted bread cubes and raw vegetables around loaf. Remove bread top and garnish dip with parsley. When empty, bread shell may be torn apart and eaten and it usually is! Makes 15 servings.