For some reason, I've never made clam sauce before, though I love it. This is the red (tomato) kind; maybe sometime in the winter I'll make a white clam sauce. This recipe is also from Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Italian Cooking," and it couldn't be easier.
The recipe calls for starting with clams in the shell, in which case you scrub them, steam them until the shells open, take out the meat and chop it into small pieces. When I went to Marche Kim Phat last week, I saw they had frozen bags of shelled clams, so that's what I used and they worked fine. However, you don't get the fragrant clam juice that way, so you need to use some bottled clam juice or a cube of fish bouillon in the sauce. I added a little white wine, too.
3T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t finely chopped garlic
2T chopped parsley
2 C canned Italian tomatoes or 6 fresh ripe ones, chopped with their juice (peeling is optional, in my opinion)
a couple of anchovy fillets, finely chopped
salt
hot chili flakes
1 lb. pasta
Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan, add the garlic, saute until golden. Add the parsley, coating it with oil, then add the tomatoes and their juice, anchovy fillet, and your clam juice or fish bouillon. (Use your judgement - add a little water or wine if it looks like you need it, but remember the tomatoes will render a good amount of juice as they cook.) Stir, turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. (At this point, adjust the "wetness" again - if you need to thicken it, either boil the sauce down a bit or add a couple tablespoons of good-quality tomato paste.) You can prepare the sauce to this point ahead of time and reheat it.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to package directions so that it will be done when the sauce has finished cooking. Serve with a green salad and a hot crusty loaf of French bread or an Italian ciabatta.
Add salt to the sauce if needed, and some chili flakes to taste. Now add the cut-up, cooked clams, remove from heat, and toss with your cooked pasta, adding a little olive oil on top.
I am eagerly awaiting the post on Boston clam chowder, the Ragazzo's favourite food.
Surely it will come one day?
Posted by: Mouse | August 31, 2009 at 01:23 AM
Kia ora Beth,
Another lovely simple dish. You are a culinary inspiration.
Cheers,
Robb
Posted by: Robb | August 31, 2009 at 04:16 AM
Thanks, Mouse and Robb, for reading and enjoying these posts.
I will definitely make Boston clam chowder this winter - do the Ragazzi like it thick and creamy or thinner with a strong taste of salt pork (that's the way my mom made it)? I like the thick kind myself but rarely make it.
Robb - you must get wonderful fish and seafood where you live, please write and tell us if you cook anything special!
Posted by: beth | August 31, 2009 at 09:14 AM
I make clam sauce a lot, just using canned clams (including the juice). Olive oil, butter, garlic, paprika, marjoram, onions, flour, and whatever fresh vegetables are handy: sweet peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, whatever. It ain't too fancy, but it's good.
Posted by: Dave | August 31, 2009 at 03:10 PM
Kia ora Beth,
My personal favourite is simply to steam open fresh green lipped mussels and serve with a thai chili cream sauce. I can eat them by the dozen, they are very inexpensive, the ONLY kai moana (food of the sea) that is relatively cheap unless you catch it, or gather it yourself. With an ice cold lager beer it is just devine. Have a great day.
Aroha,
Robb
Posted by: Robb | September 01, 2009 at 05:06 AM