Clam Linguine

Clams cooked in white wine sauce then tossed with linguine.  A delicious dinner that may look fancy but is really quite simple.

Clams are one of the dishes that started my white wine sauce craze.  This is only my second time cooking clams and I love them.  Clams are easy to find in one of my favorite Chinatown markets.  They are right beside the shrimp and always look delicious.  The first time I cooked them I just had clams in white wine sauce that I served with crusty French bread, to dip in the sauce, and a vegetable.  This time I decided to do clam linguine.

The idea for clam linguine actually came from a book series I've read.  Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series.  It's a crime/mystery book series where Kay is a medical examiner.  Kay is one of few characters who actually likes to cook and in the few books, of this series, I've read; one of her quick go to recipes is clam linguine.  Kay uses bottled clam juice (maybe canned clams...I don't remember) making this a great meal to throw together when you have very little in the fridge.  My thinking was that if bottled clam juice makes good clam linguine real clams would be even better.  The sauce from my first clam recipe was delicious with bread so I figured it would be great with pasta too.

Clam Linguine

Ingredients:

12-14 clams
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp shallots, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound linguine
parmesan
salt and pepper
parsley, optional

Clean clams and have them ready to go.  Discard any broken clams or any that are open and do not shut when tapped. My goal was to have at least 5 clams per person sometimes you have to discard a few.

Start the pasta cooking in boiling water (I just used the package instructions I think it was 9-11 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet (12 inch is the one I used).  When the butter melts add the garlic and shallots.  Stir and cook until soft and fragrant and add a little salt.

Pour in the wine and let it come to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add the clams.  Cover and let steam for about 7 minutes or until the clams open.  Discard any clams that do not open.

The pasta should be done by now, drain it and add the pasta to the clams mixing well and remove from heat.  Add chopped parsley if using, cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of that delicious sauce.

Makes 2 servings.  Serve with Parmesan, I used shaved Parmesan but grated or shredded would be fine.  Crack fresh ground pepper on top if you like and enjoy.

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