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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Clam Linguine with Garlic White Wine Sauce


Happy Saturday!

I went camping and clam digging this past weekend.  We had a lot of clams. Most weren't from me. I was bad. I got less than 10 clams. I swear, I dug 5 holes and I got nothing.  They were either dead, broken, or too small. It was hot and Bella was on my back. I was tired so I gave up--whining--. I went collecting oysters for my friends to shuck instead. I did contribute to the group, tho, by cooking for them! Ha. Well, it was more like "delegating" tasks. I know. I'm smart *wink*
Bella was such a good girl. She was on my back for almost 3 hrs!
I now appreciate the work of people selling clams. Man, it's hard work. You need not only skill but also luck!

Before the camping trip, I craved clams and had been eating them quite a good amount. However, after this past weekend, I won't be eating them for a while. That shows how many we got!

some of the clams we got
 
that's how much stuff we brought hahaha

















This dish was inspired by the picky taste buds of mine. I don't really cook shellfish so I seek out when dining. I don't know if it's luck or what but the clam linguine I had been having wasn't savory enough. It either needed more flavor, more tartness, or fresher clams. This really annoyed me. While visiting my favorite market, I spotted live manila clams in a tank. After thinking, I decided to make it myself -with pouty face-. Fine, I will show you what it's supposed to taste like! Therefore, I had to break the cuisine style for once.

Clams are in season so the price is really affordable and they are a sustainable seafood. If you are trying to decide whether you should try to cook them or not, don't ponder any longer. It's time to get your hands-on, on! :) I was able to customize the dish based on my preference which was plenty of clams and savory flavor. The guideline for the recipe is from my past post --Ink spaghetti seafood. The dish is simple. You need fresh clams, good wine, and fresh herbs. As Lazaro says, you cook with the wine you're drinking otherwise you might spit it out. This dish is nothing new but it's new on I Just Love My Apron!

I'm proud to tell you that I used parsley from my little garden! This is the first time my herbs didn't die on me.

Parsley from my little garden

Fun fact about Clams: The clam has no head, and usually has no eyes (scallops are a notable exception), but a clam does have kidneys, a heart, mouth, anus, and pearls. Source: Wikipedia.



Clam Linguine with Garlic White Wine Sauce
Yield: 4-6 people

Ingredients:
3 lbs manila clams - clean and rub dirt from shell
1 lb linguine pasta
1 cup good dry white wine
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 8 shallots)
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 packages of pancetta
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill
3 lemons
Olive oil - about 2 Tbs
1 Tbs chili flakes
2 Tbs butter
1 cup reserved pasta water
Salt and pepper

Directions:
  • Soak live clams in fresh water. Put either cornmeal or about 2-3 tsp of white vinegar and leave it for about half hour. Vinegar will help clams spit out dirt.
  • Bring water to boil. Season with salt. Boil pasta as directed on its package.
  • In the meantime, bring large saucepan to medium high heat. Heat up oil and add pancetta. Fry pancetta until crispy. Remove them and reserve oil.
  • And butter. Then, add shallots. Saute until shallots start turning brown. Add garlic. 
  • Add clams, salt, pepper, and white wine. Close the lid and shake the pot occasionally.
  • Cook until all clams are open. Discard the ones that aren't open.
  • Add reserved pasta water, squeeze lemons in, add 1/2 of the herbs, and chili flakes. Correct taste with salt and pepper.
  • Pour cooked liquid over cooked pasta. Add remaining 1/2 herbs. Mix well.
  • Place clams over pasta and mix well. Sprinkle with crispy pancetta.
Brown shallot and garlic in butter and oil. Oops, it's a little burnt!
 
Steam clams
Mix in herbs, lemon juice, salt, pepper and stir well
Pour liquid over cooked pasta, mix in herbs, and mix well
Savory clam linguine --my kinda dish!






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13 comments:

Unknown said...

Tanantha, this is my kind of pasta dish too!
Everything about it is perfect and you all worked hard to put this on the table, very impressive!
I'm glad you're enjoying your homegrown herbs this Summer;-)

Priscilla - She's Cookin' said...

Fresh clams and linguine is a dish I often order at restaurants because it's one I don't cook at home. How fun that you can go clam digging and even if you didn't find that many clams - you did your part with the cooking, er delegating ;) I'm sure the pancetta and your garden herbs added a lot of flavor! (You must have fried the pancetta and added it in at the same time as the herbs, but your recipe doesn't say.) I'll take your advice and buy some fresh clams since they're in season!

Jessica said...

I love fresh and light pasta dishes like this one! Sounds like so much fun for you! And Bella is adorable. Such a delicious meal!

Tanantha P. said...

Ahh..yes Prisicilla I forgot to add the instruction about pancetta! hahaha. I wrote down ingredients but didn't write directions. Thanks for catching that! it has fixed! :D

penny aka jeroxie said...

What a pretty dish. Love the photos.

Anonymous said...

Your linguine with clams sounds terrific, a beautiful dish! Wonderful with parsley from your own garden!

Anonymous said...

I just founf you through Lazaro Cooks. Can't wait to start looking at your posts. I just became a follower.

Norma
Platanos, Mangoes and Me!
http://platanosmangoes.com

Angie's Recipes said...

That's a great seafood pasta. I like the white wine sauce a lot!

Magic of Spice said...

Beautiful linguine and clams, and how fun to go clam digging! Sorry you did not find too many, but still fun and cooking is the important task anyway. Bella looks so cute and wow 3 hours, such a good girl :)
P.S. Your little garden looks wonderful and very happy :)

Tasty Trix said...

This is gorgeous - restaurant-worthy, just lets the flavors sing. And 8 cloves of garlic - you are a woman after my own heart!

Tasty Trix said...

PS - You won the wine giveaway! Email me your address: TastyTrix (at) gmail (dot) com

Monet said...

Just lovely! I adore a good pasta dish, especially one with fresh clams. I loved seeing your pictures of your adventure too. I am enjoying this with a cup of coffee in hand and an egg sandwich by my side. I hope you have a cool and relaxing Thursday. We are trying to beat back this heat in Austin!

LeQuan said...

Tanantha, I love reading about your little adventures. I've been oyster digging and really loved it. Never been clam digging though, would love to try. Sorry luck wasn't on your side. At least you took matters into your own hands and cooked up a storm :D. I love clams and your clam linguine looks fantastic. Wouldn't I live a big plate of that right now. Thanks for the lovely recipe! Oh, and that picture of You and Bella is adorable!

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