WEDNESDAY

Linguine Vongole {Linguine with Clams in a White Wine & Garlic Broth}

 

This meal is one that the kids and I really enjoy but Michael not so much so it is a dinner that we save for when he is away.  Michael is on his last day of business in Japan and Max has come home after visiting with friends overnight.  Although the food and the preparation itself are both quite simple, the flavor of the finished dish is quite luscious.

This dish can be prepared with either clams {which I used tonight} or mussels.  When I went to the market this afternoon to pick up the seafood my choices were farmed mussels or wild littleneck clams.  Since I prefer wild seafood over farmed, I decided on the clams.  They were sizable and their shells had such lovely tones of gold and grey…

When buying clams or mussels, I always purchase a bit more than I think we will need because there will always be a handful that don’t open as they should and, as such, need to be discarded.

With just a few other ingredients, and a minimal amount of chopping, dinner was ready in under twenty minutes…

This meal is perfect for a warm summer evening. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread for soaking up all the wonderful, garlicky broth and, for the adults at your table, serve it with a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc…

Linguine Vongole {adapted from POPOLO, A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts), by Russell Norman}

• 2½ pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed clean under cold running water
• ½ pound linguine
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes
• Flaky sea salt {such as Maldon}
• 2 large garlic cloves, pushed through a garlic press
• 1½ cups dry white wine
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Crusty bread, to serve

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Carefully add the linguine to the pot, gently stirring once or twice.  Add some olive oil {about a tablespoon} and cook according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, put a very wide and deep frying pan {a large cast iron skillet works well here} over a medium flame and heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  When the pasta is half-way through its cooking time, add the garlic and crushed red pepper to the frying pan, give a quick stir and then add the clams.  Gently stir the clams until they begin to open…this should take no more than 2 minutes.  Discard any clams that remain closed.  Add the white wine and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.
3. Drain the pasta, retaining a small amount {about a ¼ cup} of the cooking liquid.  Then toss the pasta into the clams with the reserved cooking liquid.  Add the parsley, 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and stir to combine all of the ingredients.  Remove the pan from the heat  and add a bit more salt if needed.  Serve in individual bowls {spooning extra broth from the pan over the noodles and clams} with plenty of crusty bread.

A few things I want to share with you before I go…

This weekend we are going to a barbecue and I have been asked to bring a fruit dish as well as a “group” beverage.  The gathering is for a fun group of friends and a simple fruit salad that I would serve at home just didn’t get me excited.  And then I came across this great idea on Tumblr today and thought it was perfect for a summer barbecue…

I especially love using blackberries for the “charcoal”!

As for the “group” beverage, I will be making this Basil-Mint Lemonade, preparing the original recipe x5 to account for our crowd.  I have a huge glass urn that I will serve it from and, since strawberries are so wonderful right now, I may just drop a handful of halved berries into the mix for a splash of color.  I think the sliced fresh fruit & herb leaves make for such a pretty presentation…

Freshly-squeezed lemons are always the best choice but if time is running on the short side you can substitute bottled organic lemon juice.  I am also going to make a batch of this lemonade before the party using raw honey in place of sugar and see how that works.  Another step towards making this classic summer beverage a bit more healthy…I will let you know how it goes.

I hope these ideas will inspire you in your summer entertaining!

Finally, as I finish this post, I just received a photo via text from Michael…

He is just arriving at the train station in Tokyo en route to the airport to make his way HOME!!!  Tomorrow we will all be together again…