Culinary Escapade

Things have been extremely busy of late. I was hungry and needed something quick and satisfying for lunch. I had not had time to do any groceries so I was limited to whatever was in my pantry.

After shuffling through my cupboards I came across a can of clams and a box of spaghetti. It has been a long time since I’ve had pasta. With my belly growling, I set about making pasta with spicy red clam sauce. Twenty minutes later I sat down to a steamy bowl of pasta.

I’ll provide the recipe for the sauce. I won’t go into how to make the pasta, I assume you all know how to do it and if not the instructions are on the box.

I also broke what some people would consider a cardinal rule when it comes to seafood in pasta – I added some romano cheese on top. I thought it was good personally and really don’t see what the big deal is. Perhaps I would not add it to something with fish in it. Do you add cheese to seafood sauces?

Pasta with Spicy Red Clam Sauce

2 cans clams, in juice
3 cups tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
3 anchovy fillets
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp dried basil or 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste

Method

- Heat some olive oil in a large skillet. When hot add the anchovy fillets and onion.

- Once the onions turn translucent, add the garlic, capers and clams along with the clam juice.

- Add the white wine, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes. Allow to simmer until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the basil.

- Pour over cooked pasta and toss to coat the pasta well. Serve with hot with a sprinkling of romano cheese if desired.