Linguini con Fasolari aka Giant Clams

Dinner is barely over and I’m running to the computer as fast as I can to blog our meal. This post is dedicated to Rowena who wrote about fasolari on her blog earlier this week. I thought they were vongole veraci but I was wrong. This is a clam of a whole different color. When I saw them at the supermarket today I had to pick up a bundle. (To the credit of Super GS, my local supermarket, every single clam opened.) I don’t usually buy seafood at the supermarket but this time, I was rewarded. The clams were very tasty. As I am a bit under the emotional weather and not feeling very creative my hubby pulled the meal together and I was the soux chef tonight.

Fasolari con Linguini
Serves 2 and 5 chili (5 kilograms) dog

1 kilo of large clams or fasolari
4 smashed garlic cloves
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T cognac
½ C. dry white wine
Pepper
200-300 grams of pasta about ½ a pound *always cook in salted water*
Olive oil

Note: Fasolari open much slower than normal clams, to have the pasta and clams ready at the same time, (dried linguini takes 8-10 minutes to cook,) start the clams right before the pasta water boils.

1. Clean the clams, scrub them and soak them in cool water a few hours before dinner. These clams have large siphons and there can be a lot of grit and sand in them. I found a little “pearl” in one of mine.

2. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large sauté pan, brown garlic pieces on both sides and add clams. Watch out for splatter, have a cover ready. When the clams have coated with oil, turn the heat up, add wine and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the cognac and flambé with care.

3. Now it a waiting game. As they open remove the clams immediately from the broth and place in a large bowl. When all the clams have opened, add the 75% cooked pasta to the sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Add the parsley, a few grinds of pepper and return the clams to the pan. Toss to coat and combine. When the pasta is done 1-2 minutes, plate up the pasta and clams. If there is much additional sauce in the pan, fire up the burners and reduce for 30-60 seconds more. Pour the sauce on to the pasta and serve. No cheese with seafood and garnish with more chopped parsley if you wish. I had veal tenderloin as a second course but it was not needed.



The Fasolari are enormous, a large one can fill your palm.

I never do flambe's; I'm too chicken, Demetrio is much better at it.


The finished dish, shiny, savory and slippery pasta. Heaven plated up!