Connies Clam Pasta Recipes

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes or until most clams have opened.
• Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly.
• Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water - this will remove the pasta's natural starches. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Check seasoning.
• Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish, being carefull not to zest the white part of the lemon, which is bitter. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI WITH RED CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Drain the clams reserving 1/2 cup of their juice and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the reserved clam juice and tomatoes, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cover, and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, salt generously. Cook the pasta until al dente, tender yet still slightly firm. During the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta stir the clams, basil, and parsley into the sauce. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce and toss to combine evenly. Divide among warmed bowls and serve.

SPAGHETTI WITH CANNED CLAMS

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, granulated garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toast the breadcrumbs, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and season generously with salt. Add the spaghetti and cook to al dente, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saute pan or skillet, add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil along with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat on low and let cook until fragrant, for a few minutes. Stir in the wine and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the clams, then turn up the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Use tongs to take the pasta out of the water directly into the pan (this works best when the pasta is a couple minutes away from being done; you want it really al dente so it finishes cooking in the sauce). Use tongs to toss. If dry, add a little pasta water. Add the parsley. Toss until coated in the sauce and the pasta is tender. Serve with the toasted breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.

CANNED CLAM PASTA

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of the cooking water.
• Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic just until translucent and soft for 1-2 minutes. Keep stirring and careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add clam juice, chicken broth, and white wine. Cook until the sauce on medium-high heat until the sauce is reduced, enough to fully submerge the cooked pasta. Season with salt, black pepper, or chili pepper flakes if needed.
• Add butter, basil, clam meat, pasta, and pasta water to the skillet. Stir just until the clam is warm throughout. Turn off the heat immediately so you don't overcook the clam meat. Serve with chopped parsley.

PASTA WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Put up 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.
• Open the chowder clams, making sure to catch all the clam juice. Mince the clams and reserve them. Measure the juice; it should come to about 2 cups. If it doesn't, make up the difference with bottled clam juice. Then add 1/2 cup water, making 2 1/2 cups liquid in all.
• Pour the olive oil into a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until the garlic just starts to turn gold. Add a little clam juice to loosen the garlic then add the rest of the 2 1/2 cups. Raise heat.
• Salt the boiling water lightly and add the capellini, stirring well. Cook until just al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• Simmer the clam juice in its pot for two minutes. Raise heat and add the Manilla clams. Cover. Within two minutes or so, their shells should swing open; remove the Manilla clams from the pot and place them in a bowl. Turn heat to low under clam juice in pot and add the reserved, raw, minced clams. Cook very gently for 1/2 minute.
• The pasta should be done at this point. Spill the pasta into a colander and place the cooking pot over a low flame. Return the pasta to the cooking pot. Add 2/3 of the clam juice, plus the liquid that has collected in the bowl of Manilla clams. Add 3 tablespoons of the minced parsley. Stir to blend, about one minute. Divide pasta among 5 to 6 individual pasta bowls and top with the remaining clam juice, the remaining parsley, and the Manilla clams. Serve immediately.

PASTA WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté pancetta, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in clams, clam juice, wine, and chiles and boil, covered, until clams open, about 4 to 5 minutes (discard any clams that do not open after 6 minutes). If using whole chiles, remove with a slotted spoon and discard.
• While clams are cooking, cook pasta in a 6-quart pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Drain in a colander, then add to clams and simmer, stirring, 30 seconds.
• Toss pasta with parsley and drizzle with remaining 5 tablespoons oil.

SPAGHETTI WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, brown garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in butter or margarine and seasonings until butter or margarine is melted. Add clams with some of their liquid; heat through.
• Drain pasta. Toss spaghetti with clam sauce, and top with grated Romano cheese.

PASTA WITH CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Steam broccoli in colander over pasta water, or in steamer, until bright green, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Toss cooked pasta with 1/4 cup butter, Parmesan, oregano, parsley, garlic powder and black pepper. Cover and set aside to keep warm.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/2 cup butter. Dump in flour all at once and whisk until smooth. Whisk in cream and chicken broth a little at a time and cook until mixture thickens. Stir in clams and reserved broccoli, mushrooms and bell pepper. Heat through and toss with pasta. Serve at once.

PASTA WITH CLAMS MERIDIONALE

Steps:

• Shuck the clams and reserve the clams and the juice. There should be about one cup of clams and one and one-half cups of juice.
• Put the clams on a flat surface and chop them finely.
• Bring the water to the boil, and add one-half cup of the clam juice and salt.
• Add the spaghetti to the kettle and let it boil as the sauce is prepared. Cook the spaghetti to the desired state of doneness. We prefer it al dente.
• Add the oil to a small skillet and heat it. Add the remaining clam juice to another skillet or casserole large enough to toss the spaghetti in sauce once it is added. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the clam juice. Add the cream and stir. Let heat slowly as you prepare the sauce.
• Add the clams, garlic and parsley to the oil and heat for about 30 seconds or until thoroughly hot. Do not cook. Pour and scrape this over the spaghetti and add the butter. Toss. Add the Pernod or Ricard and serve immediately.

MARK BITTMAN'S PASTA WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Steam the clams in a covered pot (a glass top is very nice, voyeuristically speaking). You don't need any liquid other than what the clams will release. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• After the clams open - it could take as little as 10 minutes - uncover and cool. Take the meat out and strain and reserve the liquid; make sure to leave any sand behind. Chop the clams if they're big.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water. Put 1/4 cup olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the clams and continue to cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved clam liquid.
• Drain the pasta when it's nearly done and stir it into the clams. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is tender and the mixture is saucy. Add more clam-cooking liquid (or hot water or white wine), if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more oil if you like. Garnish, and serve.

CREAMY CLAM LINGUINE

Steps:

• Cook linguine according to package directions. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute onion in butter and oil. Add garlic; saute for 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add the broth, clam juice and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Add the clams and seasonings; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Drain linguine. Add pasta and cheese to sauce; toss to coat.

CLAM LINGUINE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine olive oil, butter, garlic, tomatoes and parsley; simmer and let reduce. Add some clam juice if the sauce reduces too much.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 3 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Add clams to the skillet and heat through; top with cheese and serve immediately.

SPICY CLAM PASTA WITH BACON, PEAS AND BASIL

Steps:

• Put basil, parsley and garlic in a mortar or food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup oil. Pound or whiz to obtain a bright green purée.
• Put a pot of water on to boil and make it very salty. (It will boil faster with the lid on.)
• Over medium heat, render bacon in its own fat until browned and crisp but not hard, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off fat but leave a small amount in the pan, just to coat the bottom.
• Increase heat to medium-high, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the clams, serrano chile and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring and coating clams well. Add peas and warm through, then turn off heat.
• Boil pasta and cook until slightly underdone. Drain pasta and add to pan with clams. Turn heat to medium-high and stir all together. Add a splash of pasta water, if it seems dry. Add basil purée and toss well. Top with bacon and reserved basil leaves. Pass lemon wedges.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt generously. Add spaghetti, and cook until slightly underdone, about 7 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chile pepper; cook until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add clams and white wine, and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil; cover, and cook, shaking occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, until clams open. Stir in parsley. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add reserved pasta water and lemon juice; reduce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter. Add clam mixture and spaghetti. Cook over medium-low heat until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with parsley.

CONNIE'S CLAM PASTA

Steps:

• Saute onions in oil, add the rest of ingredients, reduce sauce by slow simmer. Add clams just before serving.