Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Linguine with clams


This photo certainly does not do justice to this dish, which is my all-time favorite. I tried. I photoshopped. No dice. You'll have to use a little imagination.

I'm not sure when it happened (or why) but linguine vongole became my favorite comfort food some time ago and I cannot resist ordering it whenever I see it on the menu. This means that I've been to many great Italian restaurants and have deprived myself of venturing further than this dish. I simply must have it. I love the garlicky flavor and the sweet little clams. I love digging out the little clams and the satisfying clank of the shells on the plate as the remnants pile up. I've tried it at home to satisfy a craving a number of times and Martha's recipe hits the spot best. It's quick and easy. The only time consuming part is scrubbing the cockles to remove sand and grime. I made it last week and we slurped it up with a crusty whole wheat baguette. Then we ate left-overs standing in the kitchen the next day and it was just as good (if not better)!

Serves 4 to 6

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 pounds Manila clams or cockles, scrubbed and rinsed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta, and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds; do not let garlic brown. Stir in parsley, zest, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper; cook for 30 seconds. Add wine, and simmer for 1 minute. Add clams; increase heat to medium-high, and cook, covered, until clams begin to open, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in butter until incorporated. Add pasta to skillet, and toss to coat, adding reserved cooking water a tablespoon at a time to loosen, if desired. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and serve.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

S: - linquine with clams is also my favorite and your rendition of this recipe sounds fabulous. I am addicted to pasta and love any kind of shell fish incorporated with it. I hope you'll make it for me the next time I'm in NY. Please continue to post your outdtanding recipes.

Anonymous said...

Your linguine with clams is an awesome dish whips up quickly and is very tasty. I loved it!

Anonymous said...

I made your linguine with clams last night. A went nuts over it (as much as he goes nuts over anything) He loved it. I don't like clams so I just had the pasta and sauce which I could not stop eating. Too delicious. Pretty easy to make, too.

tigerfish said...

I just made this. Yes, it's simple yet delicious dish.

Anonymous said...

I think the photo is beautiful! The recipe sounds delicious - you should submit it to the Root Source Challenge and possibly win a cookbook!
http://www.cookthink.com/blog/?p=1202

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