LINGUINE WITH GRILLED CLAMS AND BACON

SERVES4 (MAIN COURSE)

• ACTIVE TIME:25 MIN
• START TO FINISH:45 MIN

• 1/2 lb sliced bacon, chopped
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 32 small (less than 2 inches wide) hard-shelled clams, scrubbed
• 3/4 lb linguine
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• EQUIPMENT:

  a 13- by 9- by 2-inch disposable foil pan

• Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas), leaving about one third of grill free of coals (or, for a gas grill, shutting off one or two burners)
• Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Stir together oil, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and lemon juice in foil pan and put on grill over area with no coals.
• Grill clams on grill rack over coals, turning with tongs, until they open, 3 to 7 minutes, transferring as opened to foil pan and being careful not to spill their juices. (Discard any clams that remain unopened after 7 minutes.)
• Cook linguine in a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.
• Toss pasta with bacon, parsley, contents of foil pan, and salt and pepper to taste.

COOKS’ NOTE:

Clams can be cooked on the stove with 2 Tbsp water in same skillet used to cook bacon; bring to a boil, covered, then cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until clams just open wide, 6 to 10 minutes (discard any clams that remain unopened after 10 minutes).

Linguine with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Basil

Ok, so here’s the thing. Sometimes we do good. We find fantastic recipes and we enjoy them. Other weeks, we don’t do so good. This might be one of those weeks.

While I wouldn’t call this bad, it wasn’t jaw-dropping good. Taylor liked it more than I did. I love basil, asparagus, garlic, shrimp, and lemon… but this didn’t quite do such fantastic ingredients justice. Maybe I’m just not a huge fan of white wine sauces, and in that case I’m biased. It’s still worth a try. Maybe we just had some bad shrimp.

On a better note: at Farmer’s market this week, they had something we had never seen before. Fresh garlic. I was quite confused at first, because they were sitting in between green onions and leeks (fresh garlic looks like bulbous leeks or giant green onions, hence my confusion). We bought some anyway, as we’re always up for trying new things! It’s actually quite good! Milder and sweeter than dried garlic, I like it a lot! We used it last night in the garlic yogurt sauce, and tonight in this pasta. Next week we’ll have to look into some recipes that feature fresh garlic, could make for some good eats. :)

Linguine with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Basil

Recipe from Bon Appetit. Makes 2 servings (two BIG servings!)

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces linguine
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped red jalapeño chili
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
12 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
12 slender asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, sirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and jalapeño; sauté 1 minute. Add wine and butter; boil 2 minutes. Add shrimp, asparagus, and lemon juice. Toss until asparagus is just tender and shrimp are just opaque in center, about 3 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to skillet. Add 2 cups sliced basil leaves and toss until basil wilts and sauce coats pasta, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta between 2 plates. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and lemon wedges and serve.

Linguine with Pesto Trapanese

This was a quick and refreshing dinner. And by quick, I mean quick. In the time it takes to cook the pasta, this meal is done and delicious. A summery meal in the middle of winter is always a nice change. Especially if, by some miracle, the basil plant that you came so close to killing is still hanging on for dear life. Don’t ask me how – this is the same basil plant that turned a lovely shade of greenish yellow earlier in the summer. Only after a long talk with the plant-guru at the farmers’ market nursery and a soil change per his recommendations did this plant begin to thrive. And by thrive I mean explode. It definitely slowed down when we brought it inside this winter, and I was expecting it to last a few weeks and slowly die off. But nope. It’s still going, still growing, and even threatened to flower on us a few times. Go figure.

Needless to say, fresh basil makes this recipe. It’s a twist on the typical pesto, with the addition of almonds and tomatoes. One pot, a food processor, 15 minutes, and you’re done. Aren’t those the best kind of meals?

Linguine with Pesto Trapanese

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Gourmet.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
1 to 2 large garlic cloves
Several sprinkles of sea salt
6 ripe plum tomatoes
Handful of grated Pecorino (about 1/2 cup)
A generous splash of olive oil (about 1/3 cup)
1 pound linguine

DIRECTIONS
Sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until tan.

Put basil, garlic, and salt in food processor and chop. Put aside.

Put in almonds and pulse until size of orzo.

Put tomatoes, almonds, basil garlic, cheese, and olive oil back in food processor and whir briefly. Add some fresh-ground coarse pepper.

Boil linguine. If you are Sicilian, become hysterical at the prospect of overcooked pasta. Break open a strand every 60 seconds, and when there is one tiny white speck at the center, drain instantly. Save a cupful of pasta water.

Put pasta in with pesto and mix quickly. Add a little pasta water if necessary. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.