Clams With Linguine–A birthday treat…..

Clams With Linguine–A birthday treat…..
My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I responded, “nothing…just make me a nice dinner”. He mumbled, rubbed his head and looked as if he was 1. Sorry he asked the question 2. On the verge of a breakdown [and I enjoyed every minute of it..]

A day before my birthday, I drafted up this recipe for clams with linguine, using several recipes I had collected and forwarded it to him via email….[and made a mental note to eat a small dinner before going home on my big day…just incase]. I chose this recipe because it requires only few ingredients, preparation is effortless and clams cook in 5-8 minutes!

I also bought all the ingredients because I had an intuition that it would take him a week minimum to purchase all 8 ingredients and I would probably have to answer a barrage of questions. A voice in my head shouted, “Save yourself, Ria!” He definitely would have been stomped by the words “New Zealand Cockles” which the recipe called for…and knowing him, he would have ordered it directly from New Zealand.

To give the man (the dear hubbie) credit, he makes wonderful fried bakes using my recipe and instructions on this site. The very first thing he learned to cook.

Clams with linguine is a truly elegant, surprisingly simple, light and satisfying meal for a special occasion—-like my birthday! Serve with garlic bread…and a glass of wine….

 
CWR’s Clam With Linguine
8 oz linguine–Cooked

2 lbs clams (scrubbed, cleaned, and rinsed)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic (about 2 tbsp, finely chopped or sliced)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup minced parsley (7-8 sprigs), plus more for garnish
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

CWR’s notes:

Use New Zealand cockles or Manila clams

How to prepare clams: First, scrub the outside of the clams thoroughly with a stiff brush. Since clams naturally burrow in the sand, they need to be purged of grit…Sand should be removed before cooking by covering the clams with salt water (1/3 cup salt to 1 gallon of water) and let sit for several hours. Adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cornmeal to the soaking water helps expel the dark matter and sand from the stomachs and also whitens the meat (About.com).

Cook pasta al dente, according to instructions, salting water adequately…Start clams 5 minutes before pasta finishes. Drizzle pasta with olive oil, toss and keep covered if cooking ahead.

 [Do not try this at home! I will not post the other incriminating pics because I should try to be nice to the person who cooked for me…but Somebody please call 911! Thankfully and “shockingly” no fingers were hurt in the making of this meal…]
 
ok, just one more…because I personally have  never seen “technique” like this before…how did he do that? This comes after I warned him to be careful above…. [lmao…at least now I can laugh about it, wasn’t so funny at the time…]…from this point on I will be nice…promise..
Parsley and garlic were minced using the food processor…Because 1. I really wanted to eat dinner (and before midnight) on my birthday and 2. Was too tired to rush anyone to the emergency room….if you know what I mean….

 

 In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter.

 

Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds.

 

Add tomatoes and parsley, cook 3-5 minutes. Add wine and pepper flakes and let it simmer for 1 minute.
[“Somebody” went into a state of panic after the tomatoes cooked for longer than stated in the recipe…because yours truly couldn’t get the pic right…and then I had to remind him calmly that everything is gonna be alright..”I am still the head chef of the house and if I say it’s ok, then it’s really ok! Calm down and just add the wine!”]

 

Add clams, cover; reduce heat to medium.
 
Cook until clams open, about 5-8 minutes. Discard any that don’t open.
Taste for salt and pepper and adjust.[I didn’t need to add salt to this dish]
 Add cooked linguine to pan, simmer, tossing occasionally, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, garnish with more parsley (and freshly grated parmesan cheese-optional) and serve (wife) immediately.
…….and so ends the most wonderful, pampered day of the year for me….thanks for an amazing meal dear husband…let’s do this again soon…;-)

Happy Birthday to me,
Definitely not cooking on my birthday
….from this day onward,
So help me God,
With love,
Ria


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