A Meal That Beats the Heat

There is absolutely no way to beat this heat! My Italian tutor said “You will hate Torino in July.” Part of me is really scared, I don’t dare to take the dog out in the day or leave him in the car for even a minute. We may have to break down and buy and air conditioner. I swore I would not contribute to the heat by baking or turning the stove on for extended periods of time. This pasta dish serves as an entire meal so my time in the kitchen is limited plus I get to play with a bit of water as I scrub and clean the seafood.

Seafood Linguini
(serves 2 as a main course, with a bit leftover for the dog)

½ box of linguini-to be cooked in salted water until almost al dente
2 handfuls of cleaned/scrubbed/debearded shrimp, clams and mussels (or any other substitutes, like calamari, scampi etc…)
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 t. anchovy paste
Chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated lemon rind (optional) if you’re a seafood purist don’t add but I find it a nice touch
Good olive oil
½+ C. dry white wine
Handful of thinly sliced asparagus, sliced on the bias at 45+ degree angle, blanche until crisp tender and plunged in cold water, then dried and set aside.


1. Heat olive oil in the largest skillet you have, add smashed garlic cloves, cook and brown for 5-10 min. Remove from oil.
2. Add mussels, clams and shrimp, stagger the time depending on the size of the seafood. Remove one by one as they open and shrimp turns opaque and set aside in a large bowl.
3. In skillet add the anchovy paste, deglaze with wine, add lemon ride and scrape good stuff off the bottom of pan. Reduce a bit.
4. Add the asparagus to pan, add almost cooked pasta, let finish cooking for 2 min. Add seafood back to skillet and toss all together.
5. Pasta should be al dente and will have absorbed tons of flavor from seafood juices and wine, seafood should be just cooked and asparagus should be cooked through but not soggy. Garnish with the parsley, as with all seafood, no cheese.
6. This dish should come together in 15-20 min. Serve with a chilled white wine and enjoy!