Pasta isn’t just for Italian food anymore. Now there are tasty pasta recipes found in Asian cuisine, and it’s emerging as a newfound love for vegans.
Marcus Samuelsson

As I was watching “The Taste” while slurping down a few fresh clams and spaghetti with my latest twist on  the “sauce”…a touch of miso, red or white and then fresh chopped cilantro standing in for parsley.  I love clams and I truly believe that somewhere there does exist a book on clams like there is for chicken, a thousand recipes

Worthy of a fine Valentine’s Day dinner for a clam lover couple or two as a pasta main dish or as in my case dinner for one since Michael will not eat clams, how sad, but more for me in the end.

I think that I ate a dozen and a half, but come on already they are tiny little bites in a pool of perfectly done lemon spaghetti with miso and roasted garlic tainted broth.

I have a fresh lemon linguine recipe that I love, but unless you are into making pasta, …geez I don’t know what too say? Order some from Decio or find it in your wonderful local specialized olive oil stores.  DC area and NC.  or order online.

to serve 4 small plates, not a main course

About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves of roasted garlic

pieces of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup white wine or sake

2 dozen unopened and cleaned clams

freshly chopped cilantro to garnish and another 1/2 tablespoon to toss into the sauce

1/2 lb. dried or fresh lemon spaghetti or linguine cooked according to package al dente directions or fresh pasta instructions

(precook the spaghetti cool down and drain as it will be added to the sauce when the clams are done and have been removed from the pan and plated)

Pepper Melange to taste

Toss the roasted garlic cloves into a pan with EVOO and red pepper flakes.  Gently heat until fragrant add the wine and red pepper flakes.  Once the activity in the pan subsides, cook off the wine for 1-2 minutes add the cleaned clams, cover and listen for shells popping open, immediately pluck from pan into a bowl until all are opened…set clams aside to toss into the hot pasta before serving

Strain the sauce through a fine strainer to remove any sand then use a paper towel to remove any bits of garlic and maybe sand particles that maybe stuck in the pan then return the sauce to the pan and gently reheat add past and toss while reheating finally adding in the clams,  gently toss a few more times…Garnish with fresh cilantro and a touch of grated lemon zest.