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Here’s What I Made Last Night

Clamlinguine

Linguine with Clams and Chorizo 

Ingredients:

  • 3 dozen manila clams (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 pound linguine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 to 10 ounces good-quality Mexican chorizo, casing removed
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup vodka
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

  1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and place the clams in the water (they should be covered). Let soak for 10 minutes, then drain. Scrub the clams under cold water and set aside.
  2. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
  3. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large, straight-sided pan with a tightfitting lid over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chorizo and break it up with the back of a spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 6 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
  4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside.
  5. Remove the straight-sided pan from heat, carefully add the vodka, and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the reserved clams, cover, and steam until the clams open, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Discard any that don’t open.)
  6. Add the clams, chorizo, reserved pasta water, and parsley to the pot with the pasta and stir to combine.

(I used two kinds of sausage: mexican chorizo and a locally made chicken herb sausage I bought yesterday. Also the recipe called for two shallots, and I used one instead. Also, we ate all the little clams but I set aside about half of the pasta or more, since it was just the two of us and we were more interested in the clams than the pasta anyway. Other than those changes, I followed the recipe I found.) It was SO GOOD.

Original recipe (as well as the image above) found here on chow.com.

2 Comments

  1. Here my mom’s recipe which I cook at least once a month. I have served this to hundreds of guest and all have raved about it.Plus it is so simple. I have had linguine with clams in many great restaurants made with fresh clams but it has never tasted as good as this.

    For 2 people

    2 oz olive oil
    3 or 4 cloves of garlic or 2 tsp of chopped garlic
    3 cans minced clams
    one tablespoon chopped onion
    3 or 4 sprigs of fresh parsley chopped fine

    Heat the olive oil to medium high
    Add the garlic and lower the heat so that the garlic cooks but does not burn (if the garlic turns dark brown throw it away and start over)
    cook the garlic for about 3 minutes
    open the canned clams and add the juice to the pot.
    Now simmer the garlic for 5 minutes.
    Add the clams and parsley a cook for 1 minute
    in the meanwhile cook about 1/2 lb of pasta al dente
    Add the clams etc to the pasta and serve.

  2. Thanks Frank! I’ll keep that one handy and try it when we’re….you know…inland. 🙂

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