Linguine with White Clam Sauce

clams

Quick and Easy

     Linguine with a white clam sauce – sounds difficult, right? Not really. This is one of those quick meals you can prepare on the spur of the moment. If you have your act together, you can have this on the table and ready to go in about 40 minutes.

     There is not a long list of ingredients. Garlic, shallots, and white wine are usually part of what you will have available in your kitchen. I have added linguine, cans of whole baby clams, and parmigiano reggiano cheese to my larder so I am ready at all times to prepare and serve this wonderful dish.

Happy as clams.

     If you really want to make this meal an event, instead of cans of baby clams, get the little neck clams. It will make it memorable, perhaps even epic.

Note: Another thing I like to do is to always have fresh parsley available. It’s cheap – a bunch sells for about a dollar. I cut off the lower part of the stems and put the bunch in a cup of water. Not only does this give me a fresh green to garnish a dish,it also looks great on my kitchen counter.

     Be sure to also have either French or Italian bread to serve with the linguine, clams, and sauce. You definitely want a bread to sop up all of that wonderful sauce.

clam

And a note about pasta and calories

     It’s not so much the fact that you’re eating pasta that’s important, it’s how much pasta you eat. And always remember the Sophia Loren quote:

“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.”

Buon appetito.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

yields: 4 Servings prep time: 15 Minutes cook time: 20 Minutes
Share this recipe:

Ingredients

1/2 lb 1/4 cup 4 cloves 1 bulb 1/2 tsp 2 X 10 oz can 8 oz. 1/2 cup 1 Tbsp 1/2 cup 3 Tbsp
Linguine EVOO Garlic diced Shallot diced Pepper flakes Clams baby whole Clam juice (or chicken broth) Wine white dry Butter melted Parmigiano reggiano cheese Parsley fresh chopped
  • 1/2 lb
    Linguine
  • 1/4 cup
    EVOO
  • 4 cloves
    Garlic diced
  • 1 bulb
    Shallot diced
  • 1/2 tsp
    Pepper flakes
  • 2 X 10 oz can
    Clams baby whole
  • 8 oz.
    Clam juice (or chicken broth)
  • 1/2 cup
    Wine white dry
  • 1 Tbsp
    Butter melted
  • 1/2 cup
    Parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • 3 Tbsp
    Parsley fresh chopped

Directions

Note: this is the quick and easy version using cans of whole baby clams. If you have access to fresh clams, use 2 dozen little neck clams, and for the broth use either 8 ounces of clam juice or chicken broth. Cook the fresh clams in the broth/wine mixture for about 6-8 minutes until they open.

Ahead of time:

Do mis en place with your  ingredients so they are readily available when you are cooking.

Empty the cans of clams into a bowl. Usually there is enough liquid 8 ounces of broth in the two cans which is what you need. Otherwise, supplement with bottle clam juice or chicken broth.

Time:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain in colander.

  2. Meanwhile, heat EVOO in a large pot such as a Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add garlic, shallots, and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant and golden (about 2 minutes).

  3. Add clams, broth, and wine to the Dutch oven, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 6-8 minutes.

  4. Add melted butter to the pasta in the colander and toss. Then add the cheese and toss.

  5. Transfer pasta to individual bowls and sprinkle on the chopped parsley right before serving.

No Comments

Post a Comment