This is the quintessential Italian pasta dish, especially in Naples and Rome. The clams are the smaller ones ¡ª vongole veraci ¡ª and they are always cooked in their shells. Once they open, the sauce is done. Here in the States, linguine with clam sauce is made with chopped clams, and I guess this adjustment makes sense, especially since the clams here can be quite large, from littlenecks (small to medium) to topnecks (large) to quahogs or chowder clams (very large). Today, thought, one is ever more likely to find smaller cockles on the market; if you find them, by all means use them.
The beauty and delight of this dish is that it is so fresh and clean ¡ª and it is a cinch to make. It¡¯s important to make the pesto with the best ingredients then just toss in the hot cooked spaghetti to coat it and enjoy.
Pesto ingredients
In February 2012, Tara called in?to ask for a meatball recipe. She needed a special one, to use with a marriage proposal to her boyfriend, whose favorite dish is spaghetti and meatballs.?Here¡¯s the recipe we came up. (See update below.)
Okay, here you are: This is my single favorite go-to, home-cooking, just-us-folks, one-dish meal. I make it all the time ¡ªat least once a week, my vast bean (and other) culinary appreciation and repertoire notwithstanding. If, growing tired of coming up with the nightly menu, I say to my companion, "Anything in particular you're in the mood for, David?" I can be pretty sure he'll say, "Well, how about the greens and beans and pasta? We haven't had that in a while." That we actually have had it is irrelevant; it's that good.
Greek pastas are so seductive, especially the ones done with tomato sauces. I think of them as another world to plunder. Cinnamon always scents the tomatoes, along with garlic, oregano, and wine. This sauce was inspired by the work of Greek culinary authority Aglaia Kremezi.
Jenifer loves to make this salad with the boys. If there's time, she'll throw it together a few hours ahead of dinner, but she makes sure to add the herbs at the last minute or they lose the wonderful aromatic qualities that they bring to the salad in the first place. Serve more herbs in bowls for everyone to add as they like.
The fresh pasta can be made 24 hours ahead and air dried. The lasagne can be assembled a few hours ahead, but please don¡¯t refrigerate it as it tends to dry out.
Time spent on a rapid-fire hot line of a busy restaurant has taught me an appreciation for the ability to multitask. This is the kind of simple yet delicious dish born out of a need for dinner in a hurry met with a quick raid of the icebox and pantry.
Quick, tasty, and nutritious, this makes a great midweek supper. The yellow bean paste is a great pantry ingredient, perfect for marinades and speedy home-cooked meals like this one.