Ny Times Clam Pasta Food

CLAM PASTA WITH BASIL AND HOT PEPPER

Steps:

• Make the purée: Grind basil and parsley together in a food processor. (Alternatively, hand chop herbs or pound them in a mortar.) Add garlic paste and 1/4 cup olive oil and pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rapid boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, taking care to keep pasta quite al dente. It's best to use a timer, and drain pasta as soon as it's done.
• While pasta is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed wide pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic, fennel seed if using and pepperoncino, and let sizzle without browning, about 1 minute. Add clams, stirring to coat with a wooden spoon. Raise heat to high, add wine and put on the lid. Cook, covered, until all clams have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off heat. (Discard any clams that fail to open.)
• Add cooked pasta and basil purée to pot and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with basil leaves and lemon wedges.

LINGUINE AND CLAMS WITH FRESH RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions until 3 minutes shy of al dente. (It will finish cooking in the sauce; pasta should be toothsome but not crunchy.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, once pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and start to pop, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add reserved clam juice (you should have about 1 cup) and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add sauce, pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the butter back to the large pot, and cook, stirring vigorously, until sauce is thickened and pasta is al dente, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup more pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the clams, cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with cheese, parsley, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, if using.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS, ROASTED TOMATOES AND CARAMELIZED GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Smash and peel 8 garlic cloves; peel and finely chop the remaining 6. Toss the smashed garlic with the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of oil, fine sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread the tomatoes out in a layer in one or two baking pans (make sure they aren't too crowded, so they don't steam) and roast tomatoes, tossing occasionally, until bursting, 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the pasta until it is 2 minutes from being done to taste. Drain.
• Return the pasta pot to medium-high heat. Warm 4 tablespoons oil in the pot. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and let simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the roasted tomatoes and garlic. Add the clams. Cover the pot and cook until the clams open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to transfer open clams to a bowl; discard any that do not open.
• Add the pasta and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper to the sauce in the pot. Cook, tossing, until pasta is just cooked through. Return the clams to the pot and toss with the pasta. Divide mixture among serving bowls. Garnish with mint and drizzle with more oil.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, soak clams in cold water.
• Add spaghetti to boiling water, and cook until slightly underdone; pasta will finish cooking in sauce. Meanwhile, place a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and add olive oil, garlic and chili pepper. Sauté gently, reducing heat if necessary so garlic does not brown.
• Add vermouth and clams, and cover. Clams should open in about 2 minutes. (If pasta is ready first, drain it and toss with a small amount of olive oil.) Add hot drained pasta, cover, and shake pot gently. Allow to simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes until it is done to taste.
• Discard any clams that have not opened. Add half the parsley, and shake pan to distribute evenly. Transfer to a plate or bowl, and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

SPICY CLAM PASTA WITH BACON, PEAS AND BASIL

Steps:

• Put basil, parsley and garlic in a mortar or food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup oil. Pound or whiz to obtain a bright green purée.
• Put a pot of water on to boil and make it very salty. (It will boil faster with the lid on.)
• Over medium heat, render bacon in its own fat until browned and crisp but not hard, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off fat but leave a small amount in the pan, just to coat the bottom.
• Increase heat to medium-high, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the clams, serrano chile and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring and coating clams well. Add peas and warm through, then turn off heat.
• Boil pasta and cook until slightly underdone. Drain pasta and add to pan with clams. Turn heat to medium-high and stir all together. Add a splash of pasta water, if it seems dry. Add basil purée and toss well. Top with bacon and reserved basil leaves. Pass lemon wedges.

MARK BITTMAN'S PASTA WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Steam the clams in a covered pot (a glass top is very nice, voyeuristically speaking). You don't need any liquid other than what the clams will release. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• After the clams open - it could take as little as 10 minutes - uncover and cool. Take the meat out and strain and reserve the liquid; make sure to leave any sand behind. Chop the clams if they're big.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water. Put 1/4 cup olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the clams and continue to cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved clam liquid.
• Drain the pasta when it's nearly done and stir it into the clams. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is tender and the mixture is saucy. Add more clam-cooking liquid (or hot water or white wine), if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more oil if you like. Garnish, and serve.

PASTA WITH CLAMS MERIDIONALE

Steps:

• Shuck the clams and reserve the clams and the juice. There should be about one cup of clams and one and one-half cups of juice.
• Put the clams on a flat surface and chop them finely.
• Bring the water to the boil, and add one-half cup of the clam juice and salt.
• Add the spaghetti to the kettle and let it boil as the sauce is prepared. Cook the spaghetti to the desired state of doneness. We prefer it al dente.
• Add the oil to a small skillet and heat it. Add the remaining clam juice to another skillet or casserole large enough to toss the spaghetti in sauce once it is added. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the clam juice. Add the cream and stir. Let heat slowly as you prepare the sauce.
• Add the clams, garlic and parsley to the oil and heat for about 30 seconds or until thoroughly hot. Do not cook. Pour and scrape this over the spaghetti and add the butter. Toss. Add the Pernod or Ricard and serve immediately.

LINGUINE WITH SMOKED BACON, LEEKS AND CLAMS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, scrub the clams under cold running water with a stiff-bristled brush, then refrigerate.
• Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the bacon and saute until the fat has rendered and the bacon starts to brown. Add the garlic and leeks and saute until the leeks have softened and released most of their liquid. Increase heat to high and add the wine, black pepper, cayenne and tomatoes; boil until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until just before it is al dente. Meanwhile, add the clams and, if desired, the lemon juice to the saute pan. Cover and cook until the clams open completely, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Drain the linguine and add to the pan with the clams; it will continue to cook when added to the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and pine nuts.

SPICY LEMONY CLAMS WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full of water, and add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, and add pasta. Boil until pasta is al dente, 7 to 8 minutes, and drain well. While pasta is cooking, prepare sauce.
• In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic, and saute just until garlic is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add clams and wine, and cover immediately. Raise heat to medium-high. Shake pan often, and check clams after 4 minutes. If any have opened, transfer them to a bowl so they do not overcook. Simmer remaining clams until all have opened.
• In a large serving bowl, combine clams and broth from pan. Add pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Add drained pasta, and toss well. Serve in soup bowls, accompanied by hot sourdough toast.