RWS 11/15/09: The go-to dish

One of my family's favorite go-to dishes is Linguine with Clam Sauce. Uncharacteristic of my foodie family, we have traditionally made it using a can of Progresso White Clam Sauce (not the creamy one) and added our own spin with extra clams and a little crushed red pepper. It's tasty and fast.

Today though, in light of my new eating regime, my Dad and I took a look at the ingredients and cringed in horror that one of them was MSG. Yikes! But no worries, we had Giada to come to the rescue. Giada De Laurentiis, if you don't already know, is the most amazing Italian Chef on the Food Network. I could probably talk about her for an entire blog post, so I'll spare you the details of my love for her and get back to the meal.

I whipped up the following Giada recipe (altered a bit to make extra saucy and a kick of spice) for my Dad, brother and sister-in law (Mom was out of town) and by the end of the meal everyone was very satisfied and chemical free.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried linguine (I used Bionaturae G-free pasta)
  
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 pounds Manila clams, scrubbed clean (or 3 cans of baby clams in water)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
  
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, zested, for garnish

Directions

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes (or one minute less than package calls for).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes or until most clams have opened.

Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly. Sprinkle in red pepper.

Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water - this will remove the pasta's natural starches. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Check seasoning.

Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish, being careful not to zest the white part of the lemon, which is bitter. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.