Fettuccine and Clams--So Good and So Simple

Fettuccine and Clams 

In The Fishy Chips, Rick Podowski is trying to impress his girlfriend with this delicious dish.

'Five minutes before dinner, the doorbell rang and there was Elaine a rather short, well-built woman with dirty blonde hair and a big smile.

After kissing her on the cheek, I hurried back to the stove and added the scrubbed whole clams to the sauce. After the pasta was finished, I drained it into my special bowl and then spooned the sauce and the opened clams over it. Placing a bowl of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the table beside the basket of Italian bread rustico, I lit the candle, poured two glasses of Billy K Merlot from Alfaro Family Vineyards, and dressed the salad with eighteen-year-old balsamic vinegar and California extra virgin olive oil. It was the perfect dinner with the perfect companion."

The pasta sauce is extremely simple to make and the clams add that special touch. A Pinot Noir will also work with this dish.

Serves 4

2 garlic cloves

1 small onion

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large can of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 cup (or more) of red wine

Italian Seasoning (or use basil and oregano)

1 pound of fettuccine (homemade or the kind that's refrigerated)

1 pound of clams-scrubbed and purged in water

Chop the garlic and the onion in the food processor.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and then add the onion and the garlic. Cook until the onions are soft.

Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the sugar, red wine, and the spices. Simmer for about twenty minutes. Add the clams and simmer until they open.

Prepare the fettuccine according to the directions on the package.

Pour the sauce and clams over the fettuccine and serve with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

The recipe makes four normal servings or two Rick sized servings.

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