Best Pasta With Clams Bacon And Beer Recipes

FETTUCCINE WITH BACON-CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain clams, reserving 1/4 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, oregano, pepper, clams and reserved juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. , Stir in the cream and Parmesan cheese; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through. Add bacon. Drain fettuccine; stir into sauce.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS (LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE)

Steps:

• Sort and clean clams following the instructions in my Fresh Clams Guide.
• Cook linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's about a minute shy of al dente, about 8 minutes (pasta will finish cooking in the clam sauce and should have a little firmness to it).
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a deep skillet, sauté pan, or braiser (12-14 inches wide). Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is lightly-browned and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add white wine, lemon juice, and clams, cover pan, and steam over medium-high heat until clamshells have opened, about 5-8 minutes. Gently shake the pan occasionally. I like to start checking the clams at the early end of the range, transferring them from the pan one at a time to a holding bowl as they cook. For tender clams, it's important not to overcook. Tent the bowl of cooked clams with foil. (A few clams might need a little extra time. Discard any clams that don't open after 10-13 minutes.)
• Reserve 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta water before draining the linguine. When all of the clams are cooked and removed from the pan, whisk 3 tablespoons of butter into the simmering steaming liquid.
• Add the drained linguine to the pan, tossing to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until linguine is al dente. The sauce should be brothy, but will lightly cling to the noodles. If the linguine looks dry at any point, stir in some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
• Stir the chopped parsley into the pasta. Season to taste with salt*, additional red pepper flakes, and lemon juice**, if needed.
• At this point, you can either remove the clams from their shells and stir the meat into the pasta, or serve the pasta tossed or topped with the whole clams for guests to de-shell in their bowls. We like to remove the meat from about half of the clams and leave half whole.
• Garnish the dish with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, fresh lemon wedges, and the remaining parsely. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• In large pot over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to a boil. Add the linguine and cook according to the package directions until just shy of al dente (the pasta should still be firm to the bite since it will cook another minute or two in the sauce).
• Meanwhile, in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until just golden, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, red pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, clams, and ¼ cup of the parsley; bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
• Reserving ½ cup of the cooking water, drain the linguine in a colander (do not rinse). Add the pasta to the sauté pan with the clams. (If you don't have room for everything in one pan, transfer the clams to a plate and cover to keep warm. When ready to serve, add them back to the pasta on a serving platter). Increase the heat to medium and cook the linguini with the clams, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. If necessary, add some of reserved cooking water to keep moist. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, lemon zest and/or lemon juice, if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish or bowls and serve.
• Note: When cooking with wine, select a bottle that is inexpensive (under $10) but still good enough to drink. Avoid "cooking wines," which are salty and include additives.

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.

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.

SPAGHETTINI WITH CORN AND CLAMS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the clams, wine, corn kernels and cobs, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover, increase the heat to high and cook until the clams open, about 7 minutes. Discard the corn cobs and any unopened clams.
• Add the butter, lemon zest and pasta to the pot with the clams; toss to coat, about 1 minute. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if the pasta seems dry. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with olive oil.

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.

CLAM CHOWDER SHELL PASTA

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour bacon and grease into a strainer set over a bowl to let the grease drain out. Reserve bacon until needed and discard grease or set aside for another use.
• Place the skillet back over medium heat and add butter, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook and stir until onion starts to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook and stir for about 1 minute to create a roux.
• Drain both cans clams and set clams aside for later.
• Pour clam juice from the cans and the bottle into the skillet; whisk to scrape off any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Raise heat to medium-high and let come to a simmer.
• While the clam juice is coming to a simmer, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 12 minutes.
• Add potatoes, celery, tarragon, and cayenne to the simmering clam juice mixture. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the reserved clams, cream, and all but 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes, then remove and discard tarragon sprig.
• Drain pasta well and add to the clam sauce; mix until well combined. Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 minute.
• Stir in parsley and Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
• Ladle into warm bowls. Sprinkle with more Parmesan, crumbled bacon, and parsley.