For dinner last night I decided to get just a little bit fancy. Sometimes it’s nice to try something a little new, get some new ingredients and pull out the fancy pots and good cheese and do it all up. I had never made clams, so I decided to give them a go! I bought some new lemon olive oil this weekend and was just dying to use it, so this was the perfect excuse!
I picked up some spinach pasta and fresh herbs to add some color. I even used all my restraint and didnt make this dish spicy. It was hard but I was glad to try something a little new!
For this recipe, you’ll need:
1 lb Little Neck Clams
1/2 lb or 2 spinach pasta nests
2 cups champagne or bubbles
1 tablespoon fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh curly leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon lemon olive oil
Extras:
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese- I used a Parmesan merlot cheese
Serves two.
I love shellfish! Not sure why, but I just do!
Wash and mince the herbs, set aside.
Ok now it is time to move to the stove. We are going to have three pots going at the same time so get ready! First, melt the garlic and butter together in a small pot over medium heat. Careful to not burn this one!
In a separate pot, bring the champagne to a boil. Add the clams, covered and let simmer until the clams have completely opened.
In another pot, boil the spinach nests.
Oops! Boiled the nests too long and they fell apart. Oh well. Check the packaging to see how long you should boil, it’s only a few minutes.
Clams are all open and look good to me!
Drain clams, reserving one tablespoon of champagne. Combine with the pasta in a larger pot.
add melted garlic butter and herbs. Toss together.
Plate and drizzle with just a touch of lemon olive oil! You don’t need much, the flavor is pretty strong.
Salt and pepper taste. Grate a little cheese over everything if you’re into that. I tried a little and decided it was actually great without it.
I love this dish because I love pasta and the one is light enough to enjoy even in the summer heat.
And it’s kind of pretty don’t ya think? Perfect for feeling fancy without all the fuss!
Enjoy!
Leave a Reply