Ep.1 - Welcome to Cook Street

From Ep. 1 of Welcome to Cook Street with Executive Chef John is his "reason for..." recipe; Clams & Linguini. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound Linguini

6 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 pounds Littleneck clams (40-50) scrubbed

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs FRESH parsley, finely chopped

3 Tbs unsalted butter

1 tsp + lemon zest

1 Tbs lemon juice

Instructions:

Bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tbs of salt to a boil in a large pot. Add linguini and cook according to the instructions until al dente (a slight crunch left in the pasta). Add olive oil to a large sauté pan and put it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the shallots and garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds, until just golden brown. Add wine, red pepper flakes and 3/4 tsp salt, clams and 1/4 cup of parsley. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook 6-8 minutes until most/all of the clams open up. Discard any unopened clams.

Once the pasta is done, save 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, drain the rest. Add the pasta to the clams in the sauté pan. Toss the pasta with the clams, cooking everything through. If necessary, add some of the pasta water to the mix to keep moist. Remove the pan from heat, add butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining parsley. Toss together then transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls. Enjoy!