Lingune alla Vongole

June being seafood month, I scanned our old blogposts to see what seafood recipes we had posted.    I was shocked to see that I had not yet shared one of my ultimate go-to seafood dishes with you, dear readers.  I am referring to linguine alla vongole, or linguine with clam sauce, which is practically a signature dish of mine. 

So, without further ado, here it is:

Linguine alla Vongole (serves 4)

2 TBSP olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
4 cans minced clams, drained, juice reserved
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 lb linguine

In large skillet, heat oil and add garlic, pepper flakes and salt.  Stir to release flavors, and add drained clams.  Saute and sear 1 minute.  Add clam juice and wine.  Stir and simmer 15 minutes (or longer).  Meanwhile, in boiling, salted water, cook pasta to al dente (1 minute less than the box suggests).  Drain thoroughly, and top with the pasta sauce, then cheese and parsley.

NOTE:  in summer, when we are near the beach and enjoy the availability of uber-fresh shellfish, I often purchase small clams to enhance this dish.  The most common name for these clams is "little necks", but I've also seen them referred to as "cockles" and "pasta necks".  Whatever you call them, you should scrub their exteriors to remove all sand and grit.  Then, about 5 minutes before serving, pour clams into sauce, cover and steam 5 minutes until clams have all opened.  Any clams that remain sealed should be discarded.

THE Best Clam Chowder

Are you a fan of the red or white variety of chowder?

My family is split in two.  My son loves the creamy version, my husband will only eat the red chowder.  To me, the red chowder is reminiscent of pasta sauce;  It doesn't exactly light my fire, but then I'm not a huge fan of soups.  Not until, that is, I made a cream clam chowder from scratch this week.  I'm a convert now!  I made vats of the stuff and gave away tubs of chowder to numerous neighbors and the plaudits started flowing in.

So here's the recipe for the best clam chowder.  And I swear I didn't make up the name of the recipe.  It is actually listed under this moniker. 

The recipe well deserves it! 

Note that all ingredients are readily available at Reading Terminal Market.  The fish merchants offer fresh clams pretty much all year round.  If you prefer working with the tinned variety, stop in at Jonathan Best.

You start with the "holy trinity" of soups - onion, celery, carrot finely chopped

Ingredients

• 3 (6.5ounce) cans minced clams
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste

For full instructions, click here.  (Thanks to http://www.allrecipes.com/ for providing this recipe.)

A few footnotes from the kitchen. 

Chowder bubbling away on the stove top - that seafood smell permeates the house!

1. I added 1/2 tsp of chopped garlic cos I just love the combination of garlic and cream. 
2. I also have to confess that I used additional half and half because I like a thick, thick soup. 
3. One note of caution, don't add the minced clams until you are ready to serve.  They'll taste like shoe leather if you overcook them.  (This probably explains why not all commercial clam chowders are that good.  Once they've been reheated a few times then the clams turn stringy and chewy.)

However we can recommend the cream chowder at the Reading Terminal Market.  If you're in the mood, but have no time to cook this recipe, then stop off at Pearl's Oyster Bar for a cup or bowl.