This dish is the perfect ‘go to dish’ if you are looking for a meal that is easy to prepare and one that delivers on flavour too! Oh yes, and you’ll only need two pots ……. so washing up is a breeze too!
invite your friends over for a flavour party!
If you can’t get your hands on fresh clams, don’t worry as you can easily substitute for either raw prawns or fresh pipis. Simply add the prawns or pipis at the same stage as you would the clams and allow them to poach / steam in the Stone&Wood – Pacfic Ale.
We were lucky enough to pick up a bunch of our ingredients at the Byron Farmers Market, including our absolutely stunning Roma tomatoes from the gorgeous Heather at Coopers Shoot Tomatoes. These guys have a stunning selection of tomatoes including heirlooms that change with the seasons, just one more reason to eat seasonally and enjoy the flavour party!
INGREDIENTS:
(4 – 6 people)
1.2 kg of fresh clams – desanded
500g linguine or other pasta or your choice
100g of salted butter – cut into cubes – we like to use Nimbin Valley Dairy
3 garlic cloves – finely sliced
330ml Stone&Wood Pacific Ale
1 sprig of thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
¼ bunch Greek Basil – picked
½ bunch Italian Parsley – picked and roughly chopped
6 vine riped Roma tomatoes – cut in half then in thirds
2 lemons – cut into cheeks for garnish
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
salt and pepper
GARNISH:
Lemons for cheeks
Freshly chopped chilli
METHOD:
- boil a large pot of water for your pasta – add a little salt to the water
- heat a large heavy based pot – when hot – add 1tbs of EVOO garlic and thyme – add a fresh white pepper – cook on medium and stir until soft – will take approx 2-3 mins
- add your pasta to the boiling water – the linguine should take approx 4-5mins (adjust the cooking time if using a different pasta)
- turn the heat up to high – add the clams and the Stone&Wood Pacific Ale – quickly stir the clams into your garlic mixture and put the lid on the pot
- the clams will steam open in approx 2-3 mins – be careful not let the clams over cook – discard any shells that have not opened
- scoop out the clams with a slotted spoon and put aside – keep the heat on high and reduce the cooking liquid by 1/3
- add in your butter and use a whisk to incorporate the butter into the sauce
- using tongs – add the cooked pasta directly to the sauce pot and stir using your tongs to coat the pasta in the buttery cooking liquid (you want the pasta to soak up the flavours in the sauce)
- remove the pot from the heat – drizzle some EVOO over the pasta – add the clams back to the pot and stir well to get the heat back through the clams – scatter over the tomatoes, parsley and Greek basil – and quickly mix through – add some fresh pepper – stir to combine
- serve at the table in the cooking pot (or a large serving platter if you’d prefer)
we love the ease and simplicity of bringing the pot to the table
TO FINISH:
- serve with lemon cheeks, freshly chopped chilli at the table, so your friends and family can add these themselves
- we also grabbed a punch of garlic flowers from the Fig Tree Restaurant garden for our photo shoot – we are a little obsessed with garlic flowers at the moment ……. they are certainly not essential though
TIPS:
- if you can’t find clams you can substitute for prawns or pippis
- this dish also works well with spaghetti
- make sure you add the herbs at the last minute so they retain their vibrant colour and flavour
- be careful not to add too much salt at the beginning as you will get a lot of salt from the fresh clams
garlic flowers from the Fig Tree Garden are our latest obsession xx
This dish is also great for cooking in large volumes, when you are entertaining friends and family at home. And one that is sure to win you lots of lovely feedback from your guests too.
Until next time!
Terase xxx
