25 March 2009

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce


After a few days break while my husband took over cooking duties in order for me to recover from the flu, I was back in the cooking saddle tonight.  Fortunately, this dish seems really fancy, but comes together very quickly.  The key is finding good clams.  My local fishmonger just got a shipment of fresh clams in today, plus I always trust his stuff, but if you are shopping for clams, look for shells that are closed tight (or that close tightly if you tap on them gently).  If you have any clams with broken shells or shells that won't close, discard those.  Store your clams in the refrigerator in an open bag to allow the clams to breathe and don't store them for more than a few hours before cooking them.  When you are ready to cook your clams, place them in a large bowl, fill the bowl with cool water, swirl and drain.  Repeat this procedure a few times to help remove any sand that might be on your clams.  It's not pleasant to have sand in your nice, tasty clam sauce.  Clams are simple, delicious, elegant and cook in less than 5 minutes, perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 Tbls. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 lbs. clams, rinsed and sorted according to above directions
1 1/2 c. white wine
1 28oz. can chopped tomatoes, with juices
1 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
black pepper, to taste
pasta noodles of your choice

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until the onion is translucent and starting to brown.
2.  Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and cook for an additional minute until garlic is fragrant.  
3.  Add the white wine and scrape up any bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.  Bring the wine to a boil.  Add the clams and cover the pot.  Steam the clams with the lid closed for 5 minutes.
4.  After 5 minutes, remove the clams to a bowl using a slotted spoon.  Discard any unopened clams.
5.  To the wine and onion mixture, add the chopped tomatoes, stock, oregano, basil and the pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat.  Boil gently, uncovered for 20 minutes to reduce the sauce a little.
6.  Cook your pasta according to package directions.  When cooked, drain and add noodles back to the pot they were boiled in.
7.  Add a few ladles of sauce to the linguine and to the other half of the sauce add back in the clams.  Cook the clams in the sauce for a few minutes to warm back through.
8.  To plate:  Serve a portion of pasta into a bowl, then top with clam sauce.  Serve with a crusty bread to mop up the juices as well as an empty bowl to place shells into.

28 comments:

Tina said...

Good meal. Don't you hate it when you buy clams and there are some that need to be tossed out? Seems like a waste of money. I don't what they cost in your neck of the woods but they are $3.95 per dozen here.

Love clams!

StephanieSells said...

Could you make this with canned clams. We only have freshwater fish mongers here on the shores of Lake Superior!

Cathy said...

This looks amazing! I make a similar sauce but with canned clams (finding decent ones in the prairies are tough). Glad you are feeling better!

Netts Nook said...

Joie: I have always wanted to try this you make it look so easy I will give it a try love your recipe. Yummy

Heather S-G said...

I've actually been thinking of making clam linguine lately. I've never made it with a red sauce...sounds great this way! Like a "Manhattan" clam linguine, lol :)

Karen Brown Letarte said...

Oh, this beautiful recipe just makes my heart sing! DS and I just love red clam sauce. Yum-O! Yours looks delectable, and so pretty with the clams still in the shells. I like to make mine spicy hot! I haven't served it for a long time as I worry DC would hate it.

Great recipe!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

This looks so elegant and tasty. What a knockout meal for recovering from the flu. I'd love to have this for dinner tonight.

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

I hope you're ok for the flu and you can enjoy totally this wonderful dish!

With wine and garlic sound delicious...so simple to make it and easy to bite in seconds too :)

All the best!
Gera

Anonymous said...

I love meals like this that are so elegant and relatively easy to make - this pasta looks wonderful! Hope you're feeling better today!

Wandering Coyote said...

I can't get decent fresh clams where I am, but I have made really good clam sauce with canned clams. I know it's not quite the same, but what can you do?

Karen said...

Quick, easy and it looks delicious :)

Bob said...

I'm not a huge clam fan, myself, but I do know some people who are. I will pass this recipe on to my dad in particular. He would love it!

Anonymous said...

Lovely! That pasta is nice, too--very thick and beautiful. I really like a dish that looks fancy but is easy to make. This one fits the bill!

The Duo Dishes said...

Clams and mussels are definitely a quick cook. And you can't help but impress someone with a dish like that.

Elyse said...

Glad you're back in the cooking saddle!! Hope you're back to 100% ASAP. Meanwhile, you're cooking looks fabulous. Red clam sauce sounds so fabulous. Mmm, I need to get my hands on some clams so that I can make this soon!

Sunny said...

Yum, my hubby would like this dish! He loves clams, I on the other hand think they're a little creepy. :) But this does look good!
What a coincidence... I've also had the flu this week, ugh!! Hope you're feeling better!!

Kiezie said...

Oh this looks good! I'm a big fan of pasta and pretty much any shellfish/scallop combo!

Rhyleysgranny said...

looks absolutely superb
x

Heather said...

glad to hear you're back in the cooking saddle! my husband loves clam sauce - white or red - so i'll definitely make this for him!

Tangled Noodle said...

Look at you - back with a bang! This looks fantastic but like Stephanie above, I'm likely to use canned clams but I'll look out for fresh ones. I usually make a white sauce, one of my husband's favorites, but I know he'll love this too!

Reeni said...

I love pasta and clam sauce! This looks wonderful!!!

Varsha Vipins said...

Good to hear that you are back into action Joie..The dish looks yum,though I havent had a try one Clams yet..

Jescel said...

oh...what a blessing to have a husband who can cook! lol! those clams look really good.. you're so lucky to have a found a good fishmonger.

Chef E said...

Oh man you know how to torture me! Clams are quite the jump back in after not feeling well! Great minds think alike though...clams on this girls menu tonight!

Cherrystone and little necks run 3.99 to 5.99 a pound here...

Sam said...

Clams are really hard to find here which is a shame because this looks delicious.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Pasta with clams is one of my husband's all-time favourite meals. And this looks so good!

Maris said...

This looks delicious! I love pasta with red sauce.

Dazy said...

I'm making this for dinner tonight. I think I'll try to shoot it, but I don't think it will be as pretty as your picture!

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