WRECIPE WEDNESDAY… Linguine Vongole e Cozze

This Dish Will Take You to the Amalfi Coast!

Ah, Linguine Vongole e Cozze – if you close your eyes, you’ll feel as though you’re on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, relaxing at a seaside bistro, listening to the waves as Caruso recordings are wafting from doorways and kissing the night air.

This fresh shellfish pasta is simple to make, and is the perfect dish for a small dinner party.  Serve it with a fresh salad of arugula and spring mix, dressed with a lemony vinaigrette, a slice of my famous garlic cheese bread. Add a nice tall glass of Pellegrino with a squeeze of lime or lemon.  Finish off the meal with a limoncello infused tiramisu for a memorable meal that will make your taste buds dance!

Follow up with a nice cappuccino and the perfect movie – anything Sophia Loren comes to mind (“El Cid,” Man of La Mancha” or “Houseboat”), or perhaps “Only You,” the light and silly romp through Italy with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr., or even the all-star “Nine,” which was filmed up and down the Amalfi Coast with Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench, KateHudson, Fergi (just to name a few)!

Print Recipe

Linguine Vongole e Cozze

Course

Main Dish, Pasta, Seafood, Supper

Cuisine

Italian, Seafood

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh clams
• 1 lb. fresh mussels
• 20 oz. canned whole clams (packed in water)
• 16 oz. clam juice
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 tsp. beau monde seasoning
• 1 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 tbsp. butter
• EVOO
• 2/3 bunch Italian parsley chopped
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 18 oz. fresh linguine pasta

Course Main Dish, Pasta, Seafood, Supper Cuisine Italian, Seafood Servings people Ingredients 1 lb. fresh clams 1 lb. fresh mussels 20 oz. canned whole clams (packed in water) 16 oz. clam juice 4 cloves garlic chopped 2 tsp. beau monde seasoning 1 tsp. chili flakes 2 tbsp. butter EVOO 2/3 bunch Italian parsley chopped 2 lemons 1/2 cup dry white wine 6 tbsp. flour 1 cup cornmeal 18 oz. fresh linguine pasta

Instructions

1. Clean fresh clams and mussles by first scrubbing shells with a brush and cutting away any of the mussels’ “beards,” if any. Submerge the clams and mussels in a bowl of cool water. Stir in cornmeal. Let sit 30-60 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Saute garlic, chili flakes and beau monde in EVOO and butter.
3. Whisk in flour until a thick, rough paste forms.
4. Add clam juice and white wine, cook down until desired sauce consistency (thickened, but not as thick as a gravy).
5. Add canned clams.
6. Place shelfish on top of sauce either flat or with openings facing upward so they can easily open when steamed.
7. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
8. Reduce heat and steam until shells open.
9. While shellfish is steaming open, boil fresh linguine in lightly salted water with a drizzle of EVOO.
10. Squeeze lemon over shelllfish.
11. Serve over linguine