It’s just not summer till you’ve sat down to a plate of clam
linguine with a glass of chilled white wine.
Right? This sauce is loaded with parsley and lemon, but I thought I’d serve a few
garden fresh vegetables on the side to up the nutritional value of this meal,
and since I don’t like linguine, I used vermicelli
instead. But vermicelli with clam sauce sounds silly, so please forgive.
This recipe takes about half an hour, serves four, and it’s
delicious. The parsley gives the sauce texture, perhaps too much if you like your sauce less chewy. You can substitute fresh spinach for some of
the parsley, if you like. I like the
challenge of chewing parsley, so I stick with that for this recipe.
large pot of water, salted (1 to 2 teaspoons
1 box of either linguini or vermicelli to serve four
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| The parsley nicely greens up the clam sauce. |
2 tablespoons avocado oil
½ red onion, finely diced
2 to 3 tablespoons oregano
20 grates black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 Thai chilies
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped
2 cups white wine, in total
1 can clams (approximately 15 ounces)
salt
½ lemon, juiced
Parmesan cheese freshly grated (optional)
First, put on a large pasta pot of salted water, as it takes time
to boil. Cover. Have your choice of
linguine or vermicelli on standby.
Use a large pan for the sauce, on medium high heat. Pour in oil and when hot add onion, stirring
occasionally till it becomes translucent and golden here and there. Pour the oregano into the palm of your hand,
and rub it into the pan, then add the pepper, paprika, chilies and
garlic. Continue to stir and cook till
the pan becomes very fragrant. Add the
parsley and stir for another two minutes or so.
Add the first cup of wine along with the juice from the clams. Heat through then turn heat down to low, cover
it, and get on with the fresh beans.
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| Tomatoes will add a bit of braising liquid. |
Sautéed Green Beans
1 tablespoon avocado oil
½ red onion, sliced and quartered
2 big handfuls fresh green beans, trimmed and cut to
preferred size
1 teaspoon oregano
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
10 to 15 cherry tomatoes
sprinkling red chilli flakes
In a medium size pan, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onion and fry till almost translucent,
then add green beans along with oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir whole tomatoes into the beans and then
cover.
These beans take about fifteen
minutes to become tender, so the timing of your meal rests on them. When they do become tender enough to eat, sprinkle a
few flakes of chilli and they’re ready to serve.
Depending on which type of pasta you’re using, you may need
to add it soon. Read box directions for length
of boiling time. Be sure your pasta will
be cooked and drained at the same time the beans are ready.
When beans are nearing tenderness, drain the clam juice into
the parsley sauce, then add the next cup of white wine. Turn heat up to get it simmering nicely. When beans are nearly tender, add clams. Let heat through, simmering for a couple of
minutes. Remove from heat and splash
freshly squeezed lemon juice into the pan and stir well.
Drain pasta when al dente, and serve with sauce and
vegetables on the side. I like Parmesan
cheese on all pasta, but it’s up to you if you want to include it.
If you can enjoy this lemony, fragrant and spicy dish with a glass of chilled white wine, sitting in the glorious sunshine, all the better!
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| If only it would stay snowless... |
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