Pesto Tomato Clams Recipes

PASTA WITH CLAMS, CORN, AND BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Make the pesto:
• In a blender or food processor, combine garlic, Parmigiano, basil, and oil and blend until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed and adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to get things moving. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Set pesto aside (you should have about 1/2 cup).
• Cook the clams and pasta:
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and season it generously with salt. In a medium Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add garlic, shallots, and reserved basil stems and cook until mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer. Add clams, toss to coat, cover, and cook, checking and stirring every few minutes, until clams begin to open, 3 to 5 minutes. As clams open, transfer them with a slotted spoon to a medium bowl, but try to keep pot covered as much as possible. Fish out basil stems and keep pan sauce warm over very low heat. (If you want a shell-free dining experience, gently liberate clams from their shells and return them to bowl with a splash or two of pasta water over them so they don't dry out.)
• Cook pasta until 1 or 2 minutes shy of al dente. Scoop 1 cup of pasta water into pan with clam sauce. Drain pasta and add to sauce along with half of the pesto. Add corn and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until liquid starts to thicken and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Add clams and any accumulated liquid from bowl. Cook, stirring and tossing, until clams are warmed through, 2 minutes. Serve pasta and clams topped with more pesto.

STEAMED CLAMS IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse the clams in several changes of water and scrub with a small brush, such as a toothbrush. Discard any that are open or that have cracked shells.
• Place the wine in a large, lidded pan that will accommodate all of the clams (a wok with a lid works well). Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the clams, cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pan from time to time, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the clams open. Remove from the heat. Discard any clams that have not opened.
• Set a strainer over a bowl, line with cheesecloth and drain the clams. Set the liquid and the clams aside in separate bowls. You can keep the clams in the shell or remove them, whichever is most convenient for serving (it's prettiest with the clams in the shell).
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, wide, lidded skillet or casserole and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes, and add the garlic and red pepper flakes or chile de arbol. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute, and add the tomatoes and juice, the sugar, orange zest, thyme, saffron, and the liquid from the clams. Add salt and pepper to taste, bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce the heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture has cooked down and is very fragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Stir the clams into the tomato sauce and heat through, stirring. Add the parsley or cilantro, stir again, and serve in wide soup bowls. Drizzle a little olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice over each serving if you wish

TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the cheese and blend briefly just to mix. Transfer to a bowl and adjust the seasoning.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS, CHERRY TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant; don't let the garlic brown. Add the cherry tomatoes, white wine and clams, increase the heat to high and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the clams have opened, about 8 minutes. As the clams open, transfer them to a large bowl. When all the clams are removed, reduce the heat to medium-low and swirl in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine according to the package direction. Using tongs, transfer the linguine to the saute pan with the clam juice and toss to coat. Turn off the heat and add the clams and any juices that have collected in the bowl, the lemon zest and half of the basil. Using tongs, turn the linguine to coat it with the sauce. Top with the remaining basil. Serve immediately.

CLAMS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, tip in the shallots and garlic cook until softened, but not coloured.
• Add a splash of sherry and the tomatoes and cook to reduce slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the pesto and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Heat the remaining sherry and a little water in a steamer and steam the clams until all are open, about 3 minutes.
• Pour a couple of tablespoons of the juice into the tomato sauce. Cook a little more to bring to a coating consistency.
• Pour the sauce over the clams and stir to combine; transfer to serving bowls and eat while still hot.

PASTA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, BASIL, LEMON, AND CLAMS

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta; return to same pot.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add drained clams and basil; stir 1 minute.
• Add clam sauce, 1 cup Parmesan cheese and lemon juice to pasta. Toss over medium-high heat until heated through, adding reserved clam juices by 1/4 cupfuls if pasta is dry. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

LINGUINE WITH RED PESTO CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook linguine in a large pot of salted water. Boil for 1 minute less than the instructions on the box say to cook it for. Strain but do not rinse.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Do not brown them.
• Strain the liquid from the clams and add liquid to pan. Set clams aside. Add the white wine and white wine vinegar and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4 minutes. Lower heat slightly. Add clams, pesto, oregano and nutmeg to wine mixture and heat through. Stir until combined and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add warm pasta and parsley, heat through and toss to combine. Garnish with parmesan and parsley and serve immediately!

SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with warm water for 5 minutes, or until tender.
• In a food processor or blender combine sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts and onion; process until well blended. Add vinegar, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and red wine, and process. Stir in olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt to taste.

PESTO & TOMATO PASTA WITH CRISPY CRUMBS

Steps:

• Gently cook the onion and half the garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for 10 mins until soft. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 15-20 mins until saucy. Stir in half the pesto, some seasoning and a few capers or olives, if you have them. Cover and keep warm.
• While the sauce is simmering, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the crumbs in a large baking tray with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, the rest of the garlic, the pine nuts and Parmesan, if Simple yet special storecupboard supper using. Bake for 10 mins, stirring a few times, until golden. Dot over the butter and return to the oven for 2 mins more.
• Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta. Drain, reserving a little cooking water. Stir through the sauce with a splash of cooking water to loosen, if you need to, ripple through the remaining pesto and serve scattered with golden crumbs.