Author Notes
This week we've been busy shopping for and planting flowers and vegetables in the garden and I've been looking for easy meals using ingredients on hand. The other day I checked out the pantry and fridge and found canned clams, clam juice, cannelini beans and grape tomatoes. Made for a nice dinner. —inpatskitchen
Ingredients
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1/3 cup
extra virgin olive oil
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1
dry pint grape tomatoes, halved
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4
cloves garlic, minced
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1/2 teaspoon
dried oregano
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1/2 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes(optional or use more or less depending on your "heat" tolerance)
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1/4 teaspoon
ground fennel seed
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
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3
6.5 ounce cans chopped clams, drained, broth reserved
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1
15.5 ounce can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
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2
8ounce bottles clam juice
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1 cup
chopped flat leaf parsley
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12 ounces
dry spaghetti or linguini
Directions
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In a large saute pan heat the oil and add the cut grape tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the tomatoes just barely begin to soften.
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Add the garlic, oregano, ground fennel, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, if using, and continue to saute until the garlic softens and smells fragrant. Stir in the drained clams and beans and heat through.
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While you're making the sauce, heat the reserved clam juice, the bottled clam juice and enough water to cook the pasta.( trust me - you don't need copious amounts of liquid to cook the pasta). Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time.
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Drain the pasta, reserving a cup or two of the liquid, add the pasta to the sauce and as much of the clam liquid as you like.(I like a brothy sauce) Stir in the parsley and serve in bowls.
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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