Pasta with Clams

You guys remember Presto Pasta Nights? It's one of my favourite challenges, because it's so non-restrictive. The best challenges for me are the ones that leave you free to be as creative as you like. So this here (I have no idea why I wanted to say "so this here," but I just really wanted to) is my submission for the week (I know; it's been a while since I last did it). PPN is being hosted this week by Rachel at The Crispy Cook. She's got some tasty-looking stuff over there, so y'all should go check her out.

So, you know those little pastas? The stars, and the ones that look like rice, and the mini-wheels? I really love those pastas. How I most love to make them, though, is like they're risotto. It's a lot faster and everything gets done in one frying pan. Which basically means a lot less dishes for me (especially when I just eat it while it's still in the pan). Anyway, I have a couple cans of clams, so I figured I'd use one for this since mostly the only other thing I use canned clams for is stuffed mushrooms. Plus, Aleister was able to eat/drink the broth for a nice kitty treat. It's an easy meal that easily can be made in a half hour. Hope you enjoy!

1 pound little pasta (I used stars)
1 can clams, drained (you can use the broth if you like, but I like to give it to the cat)
3 cups (ish) chicken broth
1/4 onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 preserved lemon, diced
1/2 teaspoon harissa or other hot sauce
salt and pepper as needed
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil and harissa in a pan, then add the onion (season here). Set the heat to low and cook the onions until the house smells like hash browns. Add the garlic and pasta, and fry another minute or two (season here). Add in the tomatoes, lemon and clams, then start adding broth 1 cup at a time. Stir frequently and add more broth as needed until the pasta is done cooking (about 6 minutes). Serves 2-4.

Comments

  1. Rachel1:10 PM

    A celestial recipe for your pasta stars! Thanks for sending it over to Presto Pasta Nights this week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Allie7:37 PM

    Thanks, Rachel! And thanks for hosting PPN this week!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ruth Daniels5:39 AM

    Now that's what I call "easy cooking"! I'm drooling for some and it's just 7:00 am! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rachel8:39 AM

    Just wanted to let you know that the Presto Pasta Nights #193 roundup is now posted. Thanks for sending in your Pasta With Clams recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Allie4:58 PM

    Ruth,

    Thanks so much!

    Thanks, Rachel, for hosting. I enjoyed seeing the round up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Claudia8:19 PM

    What a terrific combination of flavors. I want to try those little stars with some clams too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Allie1:27 PM

    Claudia,

    I hope you enjoy the stars! They're so fast it's just a wonderful weekday meal for me.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gems, Lovely Gems

Image
I actually have a bit more homework than I anticipated, so today I just want to tell you guys about gems. It appears that no one really knows what gems are anymore, but back in the 1800s they were a popular, if heavy, treat. So much so, that many pioneers even found room in their wagons to bring a gem pan. By the early 1900s, gems had fallen out of favour and most people just went with muffins. It's a sad, sad thing, really. Traditionally, gem pans were made from cast iron. You can still find beautiful, old cast iron pans on eBay. In fact, aside from scouring antique shops hopefully (and often fruitlessly), eBay is the only place I know that routinely "carries" them. You can find a proper gem pan for as little as US$5, and I've seen them as much as US$300. You just never really know. My advice, however, is to find one that's shallow, made in the mid-1800s (this is when the pans were really in their prime, quality-wise), and in extremely poor condition. I say to fi
Read more

Lentil, Chick Pea and Eggplant Boil

Image
Sorry for the delay. I actually made this days ago, but due to my busy school schedule (yay! The semester is finally almost over!), I didn't have time until now to post it. I always forget about lentils. I always have them in the house, and like them quite a bit, but most of the time, they don't even exist as an option in my head. I don't know why that is. I've been telling P for a while now I wanted to eat more lentils, so finally I just made some. I also decided to take this as an opportunity to use up some spare veggies laying about. Hope you enjoy! 1/2 anise bulb, sliced 1 small onion, cut into rings 1/2 jalepeno, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil salt to taste 1 cup yellow potato, cubed 2 cups cubed and peeled eggplant 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, cut into quarters 1 cup lentils 3 - 4 1/2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon each: clove, cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed 1/2 preserved lemon, diced 1 roma tomato, chopped 1 cup mixe
Read more

Bergamot Curd

Image
As promised, here is the curd recipe. This is perfect for scones, toast, just to eat, or for an unusual twist on the filling typically used in those little fruit tarts. If bergamots are not available to you, you could always use lemon, Seville orange, sweet types of orange (cut the sugar a bit though), lime, pomello, grapefruit or any other citrus. Enjoy! 9 ounces freshly squeezed bergamot juice 2 tablespoons finely grated zest 1 1/2 cups sugar 6 eggs 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 12 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon bits Whisk all but butter into a saucepan. Begin to heat over medium low heat and add all the butter. Whisking periodically, cook until the whisk marks stay in the curd. Pack into sterilised jars (or you can just put this in a jar and put it in the fridge, if you don't want to can it) and process 15 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
Read more