Tasty Tuesday: Pasta with Clam Sauce

So, I may be Jewish (as can be seen by my love of latkes at Hanukkah), but, I’m also Italian, and I have an unwavering, undying love of (most) Italian food.  I don’t like ricotta cheese, so I don’t really dig on things like cheese ravioli, manicotti, or lasagna.  But… anything de pesce? Mussels? Clam sauce? Aglio y Oglio?  Meatballs? Eggplant Parm?  Alfredo? Carbonara?  Count.Me.In.

So, last night, Graham decided that he was going to stop by, and I hadn’t done anything for dinner yet.  I assessed the pantry (which, is always stocked) and decided on pasta with clam sauce (which comes together in about 30 minutes.)

You will need (feeds 2 plus leftovers):

1 pound of pasta (I used fettuccine rigate, but traditionally, my mom made this with linguine.  Any long pasta would work – I don’t recommend short macaroni, cavatelli, or mostaccolli noodles.)

2 cans of baby clams, drained (juice reserved)

2-3 carrots, grated

2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed.

2-3 anchovies

½ cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

2 tablespoons of butter

Several turns of the pan of olive oil

First, start your water boiling for the pasta.  This is what takes the longest.

Heat your oil and butter in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat.  Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and carrots and sauté until soft and fragrant.  Add the anchovies and sauté (they will dissolve into the sauce, leaving behind no ‘fishy’ flavor, I promise you!)

After the anchovies have dissolved, add the clam juice and white wine, and reduce.

Oil-Butter-Carrots-Garlic-Wine-Clam Juice

*If your water is not boiling at that point, turn your sauce down to LOW.* 

Fettuccine Rigate

Cook the pasta until just before al-dente.  Just before you take the pasta out, add the clams to the sauce.  Drain pasta, add to the sauce, and toss, letting the pasta finish cooking in the sauce.  If it looks dry, add some of the pasta cooking water.

Everything together, pasta finishing in the sauce.  See how a little parsley would add some color?

Sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley for color.

Can be served with an antipasto, bread, salad, you name it.

Mangia!