Vongole on Steroids!

Following my attempt towards the 101 ways with Pasta, I stopped for clams and pappardelle at the market before heading home one evening. Unfortunately, it turned out that the pappa was not the right noodle for the dish, but it was a very good dish nonetheless. A thicker, rounder pasta like spaghetti or linguine would probably have worked out better, because thin pastas like pappa tend to absorb all the sauce. With a thin sauce like this one, you don't want to dry the dish out.

I usually go all out with my staple white wine & clam juice base plus a bunch of other stuff (recipe here), but I wanted this pasta to be ready in 20 minutes, and just plainly delicious. I could have gone with the classic vongole, but with the pancetta in my fridge, I thought I would just kick it up a notch, (as well as saving it from going bad)! Plus, I also made a quick green pea soup, and thought that a sprinkling of pancetta would go very well!

The result? And overwhelming medley of flavor - this is one dish that does not go by the nickname "Bland"! Because it's such a bold pasta with plenty of layers, this is not the clam pasta that goes with a crisp white wine! Serve with a nice pale ale, and all will be well!



Vongole on Steroids

5 cloves Garlic, thinly slices
2 oz Pancetta, diced
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup Crisp white wine, like a Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, (no chardonnay)
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/5 Lbs Clams, fresh
4 oz Baby Spinach Leaves
2 Tbs Butter, Cold
2 Tbs Parsley, Minced
2 ea Anchovy fillets, mashed

1/3 cup Grated hard cheese

Cooked Noodle Pasta for two - Linguine, Fettucine or Spaghetti works well

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saute pan
2. Add the diced pancetta, and cook till nicely browned. Remove from pan and reserve
3. Add the garlic slivers to the pancetta drippings and saute until just cooked, but not browned
4. Add the White wine and Chicken stock, and bring to a boil
5. Reduce white wine mixture until about 1/3 cup
4. Add the clams and spinach to the liquid, and cover
5. Steam clams for about 5-7 minutes, or until the open up
6. Take the saute pan off the heat, and swirl in the cold butter, parsley and anchovies
7. Toss with pasta and cheese
8. Garnish with browned pancetta and serve immediately

A Pinch of Lobster

We haven't had a tradition to be in the area over the July 4th weekend, but this year, we had a good friend, David come and visit, so we stayed put. And what better way to celebrate the 4th than with a good bbq?

By popular request, I opted for a seafood theme with the king of crustaceans as the star! Again, my sauce philosophy reigned over the menu - very simple preparation with three sauces to choose from; Chile Verde, Mentaiko Mayonnaise, and Carrot Orange. The lobsters were around 3.5 lbs from Maine and very very sweet. I reserved the lobster bodies and have frozen them for a lobster bisque kind of day (time to reserve your seats in advance).




Me showing everyone how it's done - my hat says "Chef Laura"

We started out with the best - Lobster tails and claws, (1/2 lobster per person), and then rolled out the rest of the food:

Idiot Fish, Barbecued Oysters, and Baby Squid



Steamed Clams and Mussels



Grilled Razor Clams



Corn Salad (Party Favorite), Quinoa Salad, and Veggie Salad



We finished almost everything, except about 20 oysters, and I had a surprise request for Oyster Omelette, which, even at the last minute, turned out super delish!



To finish, we can roasted Bailey Bananas and a Peaches and Cream cake (apparently, I can now bake!)



My favorite thing on the menu was Chile Verde sauce, that I twittered it's "awesome-nest" a week before. It's slightly spicy, with a nice tang, and the roasted peppers add a whole 'nother layer of depth to it. For this bbq, I only used it as a sauce for the seafood, but it would go extremely well with other white meats as well. I'm using the leftovers to braise some pork this week and I'm sure it will rock the boat or knock you off. Another way to use it would be to mix it in with cream cheese and serve it up as a guac alternative at parties.

Here's the recipe:

Chile Verde
Makes about 3 cups

6 ea Anaheim Chilies
2 ea Poblano Chilies
2 ea Jalapeno, Chilies
1 ea Green Pepper
2 ea Limes
1/2 ea Yellow Onions
2 ea Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Roast the chilies and green pepper on a grill or over an open flame until the skin is charred
Place roasted veggies in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap
Leave to cook for about 20 minutes
Peel skin and remove seeds from chilies and peppers, reserve any liquid
Zest and juice limes, combine with chilies, peppers, onions and garlic
Blend till smooth, then slowly drizzle in olive oil while blades are running
Season with s & p

Tomales Bay Must-Have Steamer Base for Clams

My Mom and little brother, Ed, came to visit recently, and since they both love oysters, we figured that a trip to one of the Oyster Farms at Point Reyes was appropriate.

We visited Tomales Bay last time when my friend Darryl came to visit, and were caught completely unaware at the possibilities of what we could do with the fresh catch (Oysters in 5 different sizes, mussels & clams)! This time, we came prepared, with steamer base for the clams, and chowder base for the oysters.

Everything turned out delicious, but the one must have that I'm bringing on all these picnics, is the Steamer Base.  While you can BBQ the large oysters, clams are pretty little, and you end up losing a lot of their delicious clam liquor when they open up on the grill.



I brought a portable gas stove and a pot for the clams, but if you don't have a stove, you can simply put a pot on the grill, slowly let the clams open up and cook. Yum.

This is also perfect for non-picnic days, as an impressive, elegant appetizer.  Toss with spaghetti for a filling main, and I guarantee that folks will be coming back for more.

Make the base up to 3 days ahead, or freeze for up to 3 months

Steamed Clams with Fennel and White Wine Broth

Serves 6-8

4 lbs Manila Clams

12 oz bag Baby Spinach

1 batch Steamer Base, Recipe below

Bring the steamer to a boil in a large pot

Add the clams and spinach

Cover pot, and lower heat to simmer

After 8 minutes, check to see that most clams have opened, if not, cover and check again in 5 minutes

Discard any clams that are unopened

Garnish with parsley and serve immediately

For a main course, toss with 1 lb of cooked spaghetti

Steamer Base

1/2 ea Yellow Onion, thinly sliced into half moons

1 ea Leek, white part only, thinly sliced

1 ea Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced - I used a mandolin for this

5 ea Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 bottle Crisp White Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Riesling will work

1 cup Clam Juice or Chicken Broth

3 ea Roma Tomatoes, diced

1 sprig Thyme

1 ea Bay Leaf

5 ea Pepper Corns

2 tbsp Parsley, chopped to garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan

Add the onions and leeks, and saute until translucent

Add the garlic and fennel, and saute for 1 more minute

Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a boil

Turn to to a simmer, and cook until liquid has mostly boiled off, but vegetables are still moist

Cool and chill for later use