Now for a fun post! Good home cooked meal recipes can be found everywhere. You can find simple healthy food recipes that fits your time and your style. Good meals are doable in a short amount of time. Treat yourself to something special every so often to feed your soul of appreciation and gratitude. The important thing to keep them healthy is to limit using processed foods.
Right now we’re talking clam linguine, my way! It really is relatively simple and takes 20-25 minutes max unless you have to scrub the clams. Get family members or friends to help on that, have fun together and it’s done in no time. I promise you won’t get bitten either! This can be done ahead of time and put the clams back in the frig until you are ready to cook. When you bring the clams home, get them out of any plastic bag and put them in a bowl in the coldest part of your frig.
Clams in net bag
First know that where you get your clams makes a big difference. If you are buying them from a supermarket or a fish vendor and know they get them from a distributor, you may want to buy some bottled clam juice to add to your dish. This recipe is for 2 lbs of small Manila clams. Also some clams are dirtier than others and they must be scrubbed with a strong bristle brush. Discard any clams whose shells have a crack or are broken. Also if they aren’t completely closed, discard those as well. For those of us in the vicinity of Ventura, we have the wonderful Jolly Oyster to buy our clams.
First the ingredients:
1. 2 lbs of small Manila clams
2. 1 large shallot, minced
3. 1-3 cloves or more of garlic, minced
4. 1/2 cup of white wine
5. 1/3 – 1/2 cup of bottled clam juice (if clams from a supermarket)
6. 2-4 tbsp Butter (or 2tbsp butter and 2 tbsp Olive oil or all Olive oil)
7. Flat leaf Italian Parsley, washed and dried
8. Sea Salt (optional)
9. Freshly ground black pepper
10. Hot chili flakes (optional)
11. 4-6 oz of regular or gluten free linguini or spaghetti
You also want a large skillet with a lid for the clams and good sized pot to cook the pasta.
Start the water boiling for the pasta. Put the butter and/or olive oil in the skillet using medium heat. Add the minced shallot and garlic, lettingthem gently soften. After a few minutes, add the chili flakes, if using, the white wine and 1/2 cup clam juice (optional). Put the lid on and let it simmer a bit to meld the flavors.
Once you add the pasta of your choosing to the boiling water, wait about 2-3 minutes then add the clams to the skillet covering with the lid. Depending on your clams, they should all open up in 4-7 minutes. If they are larger clams, you may need more time so adjust your schedule accordingly. While the clams are cooking, mince the fresh parsley.
The clams will look like this when they are ready, like they are singing an Italian aria (so to speak)! If you find any additional broken shells or clams that do not open, discard those.
Drain the pasta, put them in a large bowl, add the clams and juices from the skillet, sprinkle with the freshly chopped parsley and serve. You can serve it with your favorite white wine or tea or whatever you love to drink. If you like wine, your favorite Chardonnay or a lovely Viognier will do quite nicely!
Fantastic Clam Linguini
What do you like to make for that special meal that feeds your soul? Do you regard cooking and eating as a means of nourishment to other aspects of your being besides food for the body?
I cook for nourishment and health but I don’t make much in the way of dishes. I love vegetables, so that’s a source of pleasure for me, but mostly food is functional. I read your blog the way I read something that is out of my sphere–so interesting to peer into another perspective and experience but not where I’m heading. The pictures of the clams are lovely to look! I love the meditative quality you bring to the task, and I agree that cooking with a joyful attitude can make the event so much more of a human experience.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
http://www.thereflectivewriter.com
Personal-Professional Balance Through Writing
I too love vegetables and I enjoy many especially when I make stir frys. I didn’t realize that readers would get so much else beside the recipe out of the blog. I’m thrilled and thank you for telling me.
Making me hungry even though I’ve just finished breakfast.
One of my special meals is Scampi. A recipe I found in Sunset magazine sometime around 1970. I used to serve it with brown rice and a special salad dressing that came from a local restaurant. The restaurant is long gone along with the salad dressing recipe but the Scampi comes out for very special occasions and for very special friends
For me cooking is fun and creative.
I’m glad you still make your scampi. You will have to share your recipe. Is there anyway you can duplicate the salad dressing? We make our own with a modified version of my mom’s basic Italian vinegarette. Once in a while I’ll buy blue cheese or gorgonzola and make a dressing with that.
I’ve tried many times over the years to duplicate the dressing to no avail (sigh). I used it on the salad as well as in the rice. It’s been so many years now that I can’t really remember how it tasted, just everyone’s reaction to it.
I’ll dig out the scampi recipe and post it one day. The main difference from many other versions is that it’s cooked in the oven
Oh, that sounds great! I always like to try new recipes. We are so spoiled always wanting something new!
I’m drooling here……Thanks for sharing your recipe! I must share with others.
Sue Bock
http://bestlifeafterbreastcancer.com
http://couragetoadventure.com
http://couragetoadventurecoaching.wordpress.com
So glad you enjoyed the post. I drool easily too so I get that part too!
YUM!
I love Italian food…and especially Italian that includes any type of seafood.
It is so helpful to have the tips and hints throughout the recipe as well as those clam pictures. I love the way you have incorporated the elements of cooking and eating into what you write – it gives it such a calming quality.
Jennifer Peek
Find Your New Groove
Left-Brained Strategy for Right-Brained Businesses
I love Italian food. It is truly comfort food since my mom was Italian! But clam linguine was never in her repertoire. She would have loved it I’m sure. Thanks for the compliments. I like to add fun and whimsy to my posts so just doing a recipe seemed dull. I want people to taste, feel, chuckle and enjoy it too!
Your blog brings back such a tender memory of making linguini with clams w my mom.My dad was Italian and HIS mom taught my mom how to cook for him. It is one of my very favorite comfort foods. I love the attention and love yo bring to this and the recipe is very familiar 😉
My family never did clams but the first time I ever had them, I was a huge fan. I’ve good ones and I’ve had bad ones. Lately I’m preferring the homemade variety especially with these clams from the Jolly Oyster! Thank you for your lovely compliments.
Oh, nom, nom. Another wonderfully tasty post!! I used to live in Inverness. There is a bakery out there that has THE best sour dough bread (one of the very few things I actually miss going gluten free!). We’d go out to the coast, pick mussels and bring them home. Do a very similar recipe as you have, although much more liquid and serve with a salad and the sour dough bread to soak up the broth. Thanks for your post. I hadn’t thought of that in a long time and it brings back nice memories!
Candace Davenport
http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ~ Little Books with a Big Message
Yes, I agree that you don’t need the pasta. I’m all for the great bread to dunk in the sauce and these clams give off a lot of sauce. That is what is so incredible with these clams! I may even do the Provencal twist and add some tomatoes to the concoction with a salad and crusty bread.
You and I have to get together. You love to cook and I love to eat! I went to a cooking class this past Sunday with an Italian chef and we made a four course dinner. OMG, it was amazing. I had so much fun because we were all working together. That’s my idea of cooking – in a group with friends and having fun.
Susan Berland
http:susan-berland.com
It is fun to cook with others. But let me share that I enjoy cooking alone too. It’s time for me to be alone and do a creative meditation plus I get the added bonus of surprising my hubby and anyone else who is here to eat what I am cooking. It’s really fun to cook alone, zone in and find ways to be creative and to truly just enjoy the moment. And the idea of us getting together and cooking together sounds like great fun too!
And I congratuate you on taking a cooking class. Cooking is really a wonderful skill and it is very loving to yourself and to your family and friends! So excited for you.
Only in your kitchen are clams singing arias!!!
Perfectly Italian imagery…brava.
You have me laughing so hard right now! Love you so! Grazie!
OK. Now my stomach is growling. I may have to move next door to you if this keeps up!
You are so funny!
You made me crack up! It would be great to have you living near me!
Spaghetti “vongole” is one of my son’s favorite meals. I’ve never attempted it myself since we have a terrific Italian restaurant in our neighborhood that does a fine job. Your obvious joy of food comes through here Julieanne. Thanks for sharing this!
I would love to have a restaurant near me that made great Vongole but at least I have the lovely people at The Jolly Oyster to buy my lovely fresh clams and oysters. It is such a comfort dish and yet so elegant and pleasing to the eyes and the soul.
Sounds like you make this much like my family! I have even saved the clam broth, when we just eat clams, for making this dish!
I can see a benefit there. Are eating the clams raw then? I could drink the sauce from this dish and since I use a spoon to twirl the pasta, I do grab spoonfuls of the sauce to have with my bites!
No we steam them, in the wine, garlic and parsley to eat the clams.
Yummm Looks delicious! I don’t have a great fish market out here in the desert, So rarely get fish of any kind anymore. But surprisingly we have a couple of good sushi restaurnats here! go figure.
You can do the recipe with canned clams and bottled clam juice. If you are interested, I can tell you what I did using that method before I started only fresh clams. There was a time that I used fresh clams combined with canned because the fresh weren’t the best or I didn’t buy enough to get us that great clam flavor.
Yes I would like that Julieanne! Thank you.
Ok, I’ll lay out the recipe and get it to you!
Ok, @cherylmcdonaldc:disqus , this has taken forever. It’s taken me a while to remember too! Get a bottle of clam juice and two cans of clams. I always like Snow’s canned clams and I saw it recently so they still have it out. Or if you know a good brand, use it. I used to line a small strainer with dampened cheesecloth. Holding the lid on the clams, I’d pour the juices into the cheesecloth to remove sand. Put a small bowl under it to collect the strained clam juice from the canned clams. Then I’d rinse the clams to wash out any sand. Once I had the garlic, shallots and some of the parsley and white wine simmering, I’d add the clams and the amount of clam juice I wanted. Let them simmer together for 5-7 minutes or so to let the flavors meld. Longer if you like. Then pour it all over the cooked pasts. Add some fresh chopped parsley on top for a beautiful presentation and to add to the flavor. Be sure it’s Italian (flatleaf) parsley. Sometimes the clams were tough but if I let them simmer a bit, they’d soften some. Also, maybe you don’t like a lot of clam so just do one can. Everything is adjustable! Let me know how it comes out.
yum, thanks Julieanne! I will have to give this a try.
Thanks for remembering!
This looks great! I haven’t cooked with clams in a long, long time. Thank you for the inspiration. And I had no idea about the Apollo Mission! WOW!
I’m glad I inspired you. Please .let me know when you cook the clams. Yes, the Apollo mission was a long, long time ago. I worked on testing the lunar module separation from the rocket before they landed on the moon. I had no clue what it all meant then.
Ok. You’ve made me hungry! I haven’t had clan linguine in years and I used to make it all the time. Thanks to you, we’ll be having this again soon. I’m fortunate to live on the east coast of Massachusetts and there are ample fresh seafood markets within easy driving distance. I would never have guessed that I’d be visiting blogs and come across such a motivating post. 🙂
I’m so glad to be of service! Clam Linguini is one of my favorites and these clams from the @JollyOyster:twitter are just amazing! It really is an easy meal to make! Hope you share your experience!
Linguine with clam sauce is my all-time favorite meal. If I were being executed at dawn and got to choose my last meal, this would be it.. I make a killer Linguine, too. But, I will try your recipe unless you want to make it and I will be your official taste tester! Great blog, too!
I am willing to cook them at your place if you like. I can bring my pan which can hold 6 lbs of baby clams if you want to invite two others over like Barb and Randy sometime. I’ll cook the clams. We just need a nice salad and some bread and pasta. Wine. Simple dessert. Thanks for the compliment on the blog. So glad you like it.