ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE

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Angel Hair Pasta With White Clam Sauce image

This one is a family tradition. I practically grew up on it. My father, grandmother, and several great-aunts made their own variations of it. Regardless of the variation, it was always delicious. This is my own variation on the recipe, originally learned from my father. It goes great with an appetizer of Traditional Caprese Salad, a side of a fresh garden salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, and with a dessert of Italian Orange Slices. This makes for a hearty Italian dinner, that is also health conscious - though I highly recommend a walk afterwords to kick-start the metabolism and burn the carbs. (All referenced recipes/appetizers/desserts can be found in my public recipes list.) Note: as various brands of angel hair pasta recommend different cooking times, you may want to adjust when you put the pasta in to cook. Typically, dried angel hair pasta is cooked to "al dente" (tender, but firm) within 3-5 minutes.

Provided by Obsidian468

Categories     European

Time 12m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 6

1 lb angel hair pasta
1 (6 1/2 ounce) can clams, chopped
fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil

Steps:

  • Combine all fresh herbs on a cutting board, and mince. You will need a very sharp knife to do this right.
  • Fill a large pot with water, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
  • In a medium saucepan, add oil, and heat over medium heat until oil is hot.
  • Drain the canned clams.
  • Add clams and minced garlic to oil, and saute until clams are hot (about two minutes), stirring frequently.
  • While clam and garlic mixture is heating, put the angel hair pasta in the boiling water. Cook according to the directions on the box.
  • Continue stirring the clam and garlic mixture, being careful to not let the garlic burn.
  • Add chopped herbs to the clam/garlic mixture, and saute for another two minutes. Remove from heat.
  • When pasta is done to "al dente", remove from heat and drain water.
  • Put pasta into a large bowl, and add clam/garlic/herb mixture. Mix well to prevent the pasta from sticking. Serve immediately.
  • Optionally, you can add sliced or chopped fresh onion to the sauce. Also, you can substitute (or add in addition to) shrimp, chicken, scallops, crab meat, oysters, squid, etc, for the clams. It can also be topped with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, though traditionally, it is not.
  • This sauce is highly flexible, and can be modified in any number of ways. I always recommend using angel hair pasta though, as it soaks up the flavors better than any other type of pasta.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 546.2, Fat 12.3, SaturatedFat 1.8, Cholesterol 15.5, Sodium 1194.4, Carbohydrate 86.3, Fiber 3.7, Sugar 2, Protein 20.7

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