My fancy dinner: spaghetti with clam sauce, and of course note the candles and wine.
Some times you want to get fancy! Not very often, but sometimes…
OK, so very rarely…
But it does happen.
Like dressing up.
Very rarely.
Or enjoying a night on the town.
Even more rare.
Or preparing a really fancy meal.
This I will do from time to time…
This one is fancy. For me, at least. Yet still, no surprise, pretty simple to make and not very expensive to amass the few needed ingredients. Served with a simple salad, a chunk of my rustic bread, and glass of white wine… it feels fancy.
I recall having this many years ago when I lived back east, and loved it. Then last year, at the end of summer, our friend Lynna prepared this for a shared feast, and I was hooked again. A year has gone by, and I was craving it… Don’t you love when what you crave ends up just as good as you remember? It was!
Definitely what I’d consider a fancy meal. Though no dressing up required…
I hope you try and enjoy.
Spaghetti with clam sauce
Cook one pound of spaghetti or linguine in boiling, salted water.
Meanwhile… make the sauce.
In a medium cast iron skillet over medium/low heat, slowly cook while stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes:
¼ cup olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and chopped
Then add the following ingredients:
2 10-oz cans baby clams in their juice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
A dash hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
Cook, simmering over low heat, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Then stir in:
1/3 cup cream or evaporated milk
¼ fresh, or 1 tablespoon dried, chopped basil leaves
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste (careful here as the clam juice is pretty salty to begin with)
Drain the pasta, toss it gently with:
1 tablespoon butter
Then pour the sauce on top and serve immediately.