Simple pasta: Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce
MANILA, Philippines — Often find yourself hungry and looking for a quick fix for lunch or dinner at home? Instead of cooking a dish and rice at the same time, why not whip up an easy pasta dish instead?
Pastas are one-dish wonders that already combine your need for carbohydrates and protein — throw in some fiber from veggies, too — in a single meal.
Masters of the kitchen, the mother-and-son team of Chefs Sylvia and Ernest Reynoso Gala know this only too well. Since they know what busy lives Filipino families lead these days, they have come up with quite a number of pasta recipes that are easy to cook and yet are very delicious and flavorful and nutritious at the same time.
Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce happens to be one of these pasta dishes that have become a top favorite not just in the family but also among students who have learned to cook this dish. It cooks in minutes.
Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce
Ingredients:
240 grams spaghetti or any pasta of your choice
1 kg. clams
1/2 cup (120 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1 240-gram can all-purpose cream
1 tsp. white pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Procedure:
1. Cook pasta according to package direction. Drain. Wash under running water. Set aside for the meantime. Dunk in boiling water when ready to use.
2. Wash, scrub then soak clams in water until ready to use. Drain just before cooking.
3. Put butter and garlic in a 12-inch sauté (frying) pan. When garlic is brown, add drained clams, cream, and pepper. Cover and cook over low fire until clam shells open. Discard any unopened shells.
4. Plate pasta and pour sauce over it. Top with parsley.
Serves 4.
*Tip: Add lemon slices to the dish. Squeeze over the pasta and enjoy. Lemon adds another dimension of flavor to the pasta dish.
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