Pesto Tomato Clams Recipes

LINGUINE WITH RED PESTO CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook linguine in a large pot of salted water. Boil for 1 minute less than the instructions on the box say to cook it for. Strain but do not rinse.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Do not brown them.
• Strain the liquid from the clams and add liquid to pan. Set clams aside. Add the white wine and white wine vinegar and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4 minutes. Lower heat slightly. Add clams, pesto, oregano and nutmeg to wine mixture and heat through. Stir until combined and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add warm pasta and parsley, heat through and toss to combine. Garnish with parmesan and parsley and serve immediately!

CLAMS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, tip in the shallots and garlic cook until softened, but not coloured.
• Add a splash of sherry and the tomatoes and cook to reduce slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the pesto and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Heat the remaining sherry and a little water in a steamer and steam the clams until all are open, about 3 minutes.
• Pour a couple of tablespoons of the juice into the tomato sauce. Cook a little more to bring to a coating consistency.
• Pour the sauce over the clams and stir to combine; transfer to serving bowls and eat while still hot.

SUMMER CLAM STEW WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the clams and 1 cup water in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until they start to open, about 5 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a bowl; discard any unopened clams. Pour the clam juices into a liquid measuring cup (avoid the sediment from the bottom of the pot). Wipe out the pot. Cover the clams to keep warm.
• Add the olive oil to the pot and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, diced fennel, a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until mostly dry, about 2 minutes. Add enough water to the clam juices to equal 3 cups, then add the liquid to the pot, cover and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, trim the green beans and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to the pot along with the pasta and cannellini beans and their liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more water, if needed; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the clams and heat through.
• Divide the soup among bowls. Top with chopped fennel fronds and the pesto.

PASTA WITH CLAMS, CORN, AND BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Make the pesto:
• In a blender or food processor, combine garlic, Parmigiano, basil, and oil and blend until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed and adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to get things moving. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Set pesto aside (you should have about 1/2 cup).
• Cook the clams and pasta:
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and season it generously with salt. In a medium Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add garlic, shallots, and reserved basil stems and cook until mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer. Add clams, toss to coat, cover, and cook, checking and stirring every few minutes, until clams begin to open, 3 to 5 minutes. As clams open, transfer them with a slotted spoon to a medium bowl, but try to keep pot covered as much as possible. Fish out basil stems and keep pan sauce warm over very low heat. (If you want a shell-free dining experience, gently liberate clams from their shells and return them to bowl with a splash or two of pasta water over them so they don't dry out.)
• Cook pasta until 1 or 2 minutes shy of al dente. Scoop 1 cup of pasta water into pan with clam sauce. Drain pasta and add to sauce along with half of the pesto. Add corn and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until liquid starts to thicken and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Add clams and any accumulated liquid from bowl. Cook, stirring and tossing, until clams are warmed through, 2 minutes. Serve pasta and clams topped with more pesto.

HARD-SHELL CLAMS WITH PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Turn on broiler and put a large cast-iron skillet under it while you make parsley pesto. Combine parsley with a pinch of salt, garlic and about half the oil in a food processor or blender. Process, stopping to scrape down sides of container if necessary, and adding rest of oil gradually. Add vinegar or lemon juice, then a little water to thin mixture slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Carefully remove skillet from broiler, add clams to it and return to broiler. They should all open more or less at once, within 10 minutes; remove them as soon as they do to preserve their juices, and put on a plate. Dab each with parsley sauce and serve hot. (Any clams that do not open are safe to eat; open them with a dull knife, or continue to broil a few minutes longer.)

TAGLIATELLE WITH MUSSELS, CLAMS AND PESTO

Steps:

• Combine clams, mussels and wine in heavy large pot; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot; cook until shellfish open, about 7 minutes (discard any that do not open). Using tongs, transfer shellfish to bowl; cover with foil to keep warm. Reserve shellfish juices.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite.
• Drain pasta; return to same pot. Add reserved shellfish juices, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Toss over medium heat just until sauce coats pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta between 2 bowls; top with shellfish and serve.