One of the fun things about living on the bay is that there is always some tasty treat that we can pull out of it for dinner. At low tide, the Assawoman Bay has little islands that pop up. Boaters love to pullup on them and look for shells and hang out until the tide rolls in and covers up their little piece of paradise. These little islands are also the best place to go searching for clams. The small clams are tender and great as an appetizer or in pasta. The Linguine in the recipe below is a beach house favorite.
LINGUINE and CLAMS IN WHITE WINE SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup canned cherry tomatoes (roughly chopped with their juices)
½ cup chopped roasted peppers from the jar
4 cloves garlic (peeled, thinly sliced)
1 pound Little Neck clams (scrubbed, rinsed)
1 cup dry white wine
1cup clam broth or chicken broth
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
1 pound linguine
1/2 cup Italian Parsley (finely chopped)
Kosher salt (to taste)
Parmasan Cheese for garnish
In a large pasta pot, bring 8 quarts of water to a boil and add 3 tablespoons of salt.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat the oil, chopped red peppers and tomatoes.
Crush the tomatoes and peppers with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Push the tomatoes to the side and add the garlic, saute until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the clams, wine, clam broth, tomatoes, and pepper flakes, and cook until all the clams have just opened, about 7 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, drop the pasta into the salted water and cook according to the package directions to 1 minute short of al dente. It should still be quite firm.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta in a colander and pour immediately into the skillet with the clams.
Cook over high heat for 45 seconds.
Stir in the parsley, add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too dry, and serve in a large bowl.
Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.
Tip: Discard any clams that do not open while cooking as they have most likely gone bad.
I sometimes add shrimp to this.
ENJOY!
-Pam
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