PASTA WITH CLAMS
As summer arrives, our moods change, and so do our menus: everything lightens up.
We swap creamy potatoes for crisp, bright greens; hearty winter squashes for summer ones; and beefy braises for meats straight off the grill. But, in addition to all the things we’ve been missing — the luscious salads, fruits, vegetables and herbs — our best meals ought to pull from the sea.
Lobster, shrimp, crab meat and soft-shell crabs; salmon, sea bass, cod and snapper: all of these creatures are highly suited for summer dining. But, on the East Coast, clams are especially summery.
I’ve long wanted to spend a month or two on the beach with a rake and a bucket, clamming every day and eating my bounty every night. A big pot of steamed clams would always be welcome, whether flavoured with garlic and parsley, or with lemon grass and chilies.
I would make chowders of every sort, paella with clams and, of course, a lot of clam pasta, perhaps in a light, tomatoey broth, or “acqua pazza.”
Many Italian recipes call for simmering fish and shellfish in acqua pazza, or crazy water. It’s not a loony notion, just a quick way to make a small amount of tasty broth, something obviously more flavourful than poaching seafood in plain water.
Every cook prepares crazy water differently but most recipes involve olive oil, tomato and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Garlic, parsley, capers, lemon and even smashed anchovy could also be part of the mixture.
It’s the perfect medium to simply and quickly cook fish fillets or shrimp. It takes only a few minutes to put together and the cooking liquid, conveniently, is also the brothlike sauce. But the spicy broth can be put to good use, too, in a stellar casual dish of clams and spaghetti. You suck the clams from their shells. You attack all the savoury juices with soup spoons and chunks of crusty bread.
For a finishing flourish and to give the dish an even more summery feel, I add basil leaves and colourful fresh cherry tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and salt.
Clams and Spaghetti with Spicy Tomato Broth
Makes 4 to 6 servings Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1⁄2 cup chopped green garlic shoots or 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 bay leaf 2 or 3 medium hot fresh red peppers, such as Dutch or Fresno, cut into 1⁄4-inch slices, or 1⁄2 tsp dried red-pepper flakes 1 large thyme sprig
Salt and pepper
2 cups crushed tomatoes (canned is fine)
1 cup dry white wine
4 or 5 pound small clams, such as manila or cherrystones 1 pound spaghetti
2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley Handful of basil leaves
Total time: 40 minutes
1. Set a large pot of water on a back burner over medium-high heat, covered, so it is ready and boiling when it’s time to cook the pasta.
2. Put a wide Dutch oven or deep heavy-bottomed skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add onion and cook, stirring, for about two minutes until softened and lightly coloured.
3. Stir in chopped green garlic, bay leaf, hot pepper and thyme sprig. Stir to coat and let sizzle. Season mixture generously with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and wine and bring mixture to a brisk simmer, stirring. Simmer five minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning. Thin with water if necessary; you don’t want it to be too thick.
4. Salt the pasta water and cook the spaghetti at a rapid boil until al dente — usually a minute or two less than instructions on package.
5. Add clams to Dutch oven or skillet, turn heat to high and put on the lid. Stir clams with a large spoon a couple of times (to help heat disperse evenly) and replace lid. They should take five to six minutes to open. Once all clams are open, turn off heat and leave to rest, covered, for a few minutes.
6. Drain pasta and, using tongs, divide among four to six bowls. Using a large slotted spoon or tongs, top pasta with an equal amount of clams. Ladle all remaining broth in the pot over each serving.
7. Season halved cherry tomatoes with salt and a little olive oil. Spoon seasoned cherry tomatoes over top of the bowls.
8. Sprinkle with chives, parsley and basil leaves. Serve.