Seafood Pappardelle
There are few combinations I enjoy more than seafood and pasta, and I know there are a lot of recipes out there that call for this combination but I'm welcoming mine with a kick. I've been thinking about preparing clams ever since I took a weekend trip out to my friend Joe's summer home last fall, and can't believe it's taken me so long to put them into a dish. Shellfish like clams and mussels aren't always my favorite thing to cook because there's such an abundance of restaurants that serve them in New York City -- especially in the East Village -- but my goal is always to try something new in my kitchen, and I'm glad I did. This is actually a fairly easy dish to put together. There are a lot of small steps and preparation but once you get into a rhythm, you'll see how easy it is. It's also a great meal to serve if you're planing an intimate dinner -- just crack open a bottle of white wine, break some bread, and enjoy this hearty dish with a few friends at home. --
SEAFOOD PAPPARDELLE serves 4/ 6 smalls servings | total time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced (about 2 generous tablespoons)
1 large shallot, finely minced (about 3 generous tablespoons)
1/2 pound of wild caught shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/2 pound of large scallops, dried
1/2 pound of (littleneck or manilla) clams, rinsed clean and dried
Olive oil, about 3-5 tablespoons
2 cups dry white wine or dry vermouth
2 tablespoons of parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of chili pepper flakes
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 16 oz. bag of dry pappardelle pasta (or homemade)
1/2 cup of local organic heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
TOOLS
1 large heavy-bottom sauté pan with lid
INSTRUCTIONS
Place clams in a medium bowl of cold salted water to allow the clams to purge any unwanted dirt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare pasta. Using a large stock pot, bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 generous pinches of salt, then dry pasta. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta with a strainer, then add a drizzle of olive oil to make sure pasta does not stick together. Then transfer to a large serving bowl and set aside.
Prepare seafood. Drain and rinse the clams, set aside. Lay the scallops onto a paper towel to make sure they're dry, then very lightly season with salt and pepper.
For the sauce. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-low heat, then add garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant but not burnt or crisp. Deglaze the pan with white wine, add parsley, chili pepper flakes, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, and let it comes to a simmering boil. Add clams and cook covered for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until clams have opened up. Using a (fine) strainer, strain the reduction from the sauté pan into a clean saucepan, throw out any unopened clams, transfer opened clams to the saucepan, and add heavy cream. Set the sauté pan aside on the stove for later use. Bring cream sauce to a slow simmer, occasionally stirring with a whisk, and allow the sauce to reduce. Drop heat to lowest, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't boil.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in the now-empty sauté pan on medium-high. Sear scallops until brown on both sides (or until scallops are opaque). Transfer scallops to an empty utility bowl, set aside. Then using the same pan, add shrimp and cook until shrimp turn a light pink -- this should only be a max. of 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to the same bowl as scallops.
Add cream sauce to the sauté pan along with the drained pasta, and toss together. Add shrimp and scallops , reserving a few for the top. Transfer pasta to a large serving plate, garnish with any reserved shrimp and scallops, and parsley.