#WeekDaySupper Linguine with Clam Sauce

I am a big fan of Meatless Monday.  One day a week we eat vegetarian.  It’s a great way to eat a little healthier and it makes you get creative in the kitchen.  I definitely have a lot more vegetarian entrees in my dinner rotation now than I did before I started doing this!

My Long Islander husband loves seafood, so sometimes I’ll feature fish or shellfish on Mondays.  He has turned me onto clams over the years, so now I’ve started making them at home.  This Linguine with Clam Sauce recipe is to die for.  I bought fresh pasta from the farmer’s market (the best!) and served it with a French baguette.  We, literally, sopped up every last drop of sauce in our bowls!

Heaven in a Bowl

Ingredients

•  Two dozen littleneck clams
• 6 Tbs. evoo
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 5 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 5 large cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• 8 oz. fresh linguine
• Freshly ground black pepper

Scrub the clams under cold water and set aside. In a heavy 3-qt. saucepan, heat 3 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Add the pepper flakes and cook briefly to infuse the oil, about 20 seconds. Immediately add the wine, 2 Tbs. of the chopped parsley, and half of the garlic. Cook for 20 seconds and add the clams.

Cover and cook over medium-high heat, checking every 2 minutes and removing each clam as it opens. It will take 5 to 6 minutes total for all the clams to open. Transfer the clams to a cutting board and reserve the broth. Remove the clams from the shells and cut them in half, or quarters if they’re large. Return the clams to the broth. Discard the shells.  (If the shells are large, I like to save them to use for Baked Clams.)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until it’s almost al dente, about two minutes (for fresh pasta).  Follow directions on the box if you are using dried.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining  parsley and the rest of the garlic and cook until the garlic is just soft, about 1 minute. Set the skillet aside.

When the pasta is done, reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta. Add the pasta, the clams, and the broth the clams were cooked in to the skillet. Return to low heat, toss the pasta in the sauce, and simmer for another minute to finish cooking it, adding a little of the pasta water if you prefer a “saucier” dish.

Taste for salt and add pepper. Serve immediately, with French bread and garnish with the parsley.

Be sure to get more great #WeekDaySupper ideas from my fellow foodies later this week!

08/27/13 – Tuesday – Cookin’ Mimi – Barbecue Jack Chicken

08/28/13 – Wednesday – Noshing With The Nolands – Lentils Ole

08/29/13 – Thursday – Basic N Delicious – Spaghetti with Mushroom Sauce

08/30/13 – Friday – Granny’s Down Home Sassy Southern Cooking – Sassy Sausage Jambalaya

#MeatlessMonday: Fresh Tortellini with Asparagus, Peas & Parsley

I’m really loving cooking vegetarian on Mondays.  The challenge of eating meat-free one day a week, has me researching tasty entrees I probably wouldn’t try usually.  This tortellini dish literally blew us away.  I had my vegetarian friend over for dinner and she was also impressed.

I must say, the Georgia Olive Farms Olive Oil really made this dish.  It melded beautifully with the sharp bite of fresh garlic, the herbed pasta and the creamy goat cheese.  This recipe should probably serve four, but Jim and I ate 3/4 of it between the two of us. The only thing that would have made it any better, would be a fresh loaf of french bread to sop up the delicious sauce left at the bottom of the bowl.

Isn’t that olive oil beautiful?

Fresh Tortellini with Asparagus, Peas & Parsley

printable recipe

• salt
• 1/3 cup Georgia Olive Farms Olive Oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini (I used herbed cheese from the Farmer’s Market)
• 1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (leave the tips whole)
• 1 cup thawed frozen peas
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian Parsley
• 2 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened
• black pepper
• parmesan cheese, grated

In a covered pot, bring well-salted water to a boil over high heat. In a large pasta serving bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook the tortellini, asparagus, and peas in the boiling water until the tortellini is al dente, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and vegetables and toss with the garlic-oil mixture. Add the pine nuts, mint, and goat cheese and stir until the cheese melts into a sauce, adding cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. Season to taste with salt, pepper and parmesan and serve.

This bowl was not full for long.

Related articles

• Harvest Tortellini Soup (heatherlikesfood.com)
• Asparagus and Chickpea Salad (mybestcookbook.wordpress.com)
• Tortellini recipe – Parma foods Fodd n Walk Tours (gustoitalia.wordpress.com)

The Girl Who Played with Pasta

So…my inspiration for this dish was the May 2010 cover of Bon Appetit.  I tweaked the recipe a bit to my liking, so I’m listing the original recipe below, as well as my variations — so you can make it how you like it.  Afterall, isn’t cooking really all about what explodes on YOUR tastebuds?  Oh, and if you haven’t gotten into the  Stieg Larsson series.  You should. 

Fettuccine with Peas, Roasted Broccoli & Pancetta 

Ingredients 

• 12 ounces fettuccine or penne (I used whole wheat fettuccine)
• 3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces (I subbed a head of broccoli, which I roasted with a little EVOO before adding to the dish)
• 2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw)
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts (I didn’t have green onions in the house, so I used half a yellow onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving (I used about a cup)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (I used about a cup here, as well, to make it saucier)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided (I used dried)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided (I used dried)

Preparation 

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. 

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese. 

My twist on Bon Appetit's pasta