This fall season has been excellent for clamming and oystering on Cape Cod. However, the usual Linguini with Clams and Clam Chowder had been served in our kitchen quite enough and needed some spicing up. Luckily for us, a restaurant we frequent serves something like this excellent dish that follows. Although I had an inkling of the ingredients, I had no luck finding the recipe online. We were lucky to one day get their chef’s secret recipe. It is called simply: Spicy Clams or Spicy Littlenecks. There is nothing like it, and the ingredients can all be found cheaply and easily. The dish takes all of 20 minutes to cook. This recipe is for 2, so add or subtract accordingly:
You’ll need:
- 24 littlenecks, (10-12 each depending on the size, of the person or clams)
- half fistful of pasta or whatever you usually eat
- 1.5 oz of Feta cheese (about 1/4 of those squares sold in shops)
- 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
- 1/4 of a 1 pound bag of spinach (more or less can’t hurt). just take off bigger stems.
- White wine – really anything will do
- olive oil
- 1/3 med red onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- red pepper flakes, 1-2 tablespoons
In a sauté pan (I use a wok) sauté red pepper flakes, red onion, garlic, tomatoes, spinach in olive oil until onions start to look clear. 5 minutes or so. Add 2 cups (really can be more) white wine until it bubbles, add clams, cover. Boil your pasta for 9 minutes, around the same time. Cook clams in the wine mixture until they open – about 10 mins – however do not leave opened ones in the pot. In final minute throw in chopped feta cheese. Put your pasta on plates and start to serve as they open so they won’t get tough. Spoon clams over pasta, add bits from the sauce.
A note about wine: I learned to cook with red wine from a friend who cooked pretty much every dish with red wine and garlic. I find these wines interchangeable for cooking, I usually use whatever’s left around, or buy a less expensive bottle just for cooking. In the case of clams, I strongly advise white wine however. I usually use Sauvignon Blanc because it’s what I like to drink, but anything can work unless it is a desert type wine.
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