A dinner of freshly prepared seafood and linguine is always on the menu when I am at the beach and this weekend was no exception. Eating grilled fish and pasta alla vongole outside overlooking the beach adds so much to the meal…
Our meal was accompanied by a locally made Pecorino wine from a small town called Offida in the province of Le Marche. The sky above us was the perfect ‘ceiling’ of brightly shining stars and half moon the scene below us was gently rolling waves and a quiet sandy beach dotted by empty chairs and closed beach umbrellas waiting for tomorrow’s visitors.
To finish up the meal and refresh from the warm August breezes rolling in off the shore was a lemon sorbetto made with limoncello-a refresher for the taste buds and the perfect ending to a meal in 3 acts; linguine alla vongole, grilled fish (caught fresh that day), lemon sorbetto.
Here’s the recipe: (be sure to use the smallest clams you can find), clams are best when bought freshest and prepared the same day as purchased or caught.
Linguine Alla Vongole
2 lbs of freshly washed clams
a small handful of parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 lb linguine or spaghetti
½ fresh lemon
1 cup dry white wine
2 tblsps extra virgin cold pressed, olive oil
Immerse clams in fresh, clean water and remove taking out the sand, brush as well with small brush, repeat this till sand is removed.
Bring water to boil in separate pasta pot. Place in pasta and cook till al dente.
In a pot , place in the white wine and all clams. Bring clams to a boil, let boil for 5 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened up. Remove from heat. Filter the liquid and set aside to be used as cooking liquid.
Chop parsley, onion and garlic. Place all in saute pan with olive oil and cooking liquid made from wine. Add in juice squeezed from ½ fresh lemon, pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and clams.
Saute for 5 minutes. Lower heat and toss in cooked pasta. Toss and serve.
And how was your weekend? Did you do anything special for the end of the summer or making plans for your last summer picnic? Share your plans and recipes with us!
Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking for Holidays & Special Occasions before the mad Holiday rush with over 140 recipes, menus and more!
Mangai Bene, Vivi Bene,
Maria
htp://twitter.com/Marialiberati
