VONGOLE PRIMAVERA...A LITTLE BIT OF SPRING, A LITTLE BIT OF CAPRI
Today's 61 degree day in the middle of February was just perfection. Even though I was at my desk in work most
of it, just driving to the office and driving home, windows down, smelling that fresh air and not bundled up like
I was going to drive the Iditarod across glacial Alaska (I mean, it IS February) just put me in a very happy place.
Buy the time I got home from work I was thinking about making a few different dishes, but time is at a premium
with 2 Middle School girls with afterschool and nightime obligations. Thursday night is a particularly crazed night
so dinner is never a long, drawn out complicated event in the kitchen. I usually open the fridge (as I often do, again,
and again, and again) and come up with something on the fly. I actually did that this morning while making my
lunch for work (which, btw, was a zucchini, Cubanelle and Sweet Onion Frittata with Scamorza cheese...hungry
yet???, it was really good..shared it with my co-worker, friend and fellow foodcentric Frankie P.) and I spotted a
cup of chopped ocean clams, in their liquor, 10 asparagus spears (are you like me? can you eat Asparagus like their
Lay's Potato Chips? My youngest daughter and I can...my wife loves them too), and I knew I had a box of DeCecco
Fettuccine in the pantry. Hmmm. there also was some Savoy Cabbage. My mind wandered to a pasta dish I
had in 2008 in the Ristorante Columbus in Anacapri, one of the towns on that vacation spot, the Isle of Capri.
Again, it's CAH-pree, and Ca-PREE, remember that. You'll sound like you're a world traveler. Or not, lol.
The dish was made with Trofie, an artisinal dense cut twisted pasta tossed with local Clams, garlic, and
Zucchini. Well, I had zucchini for lunch, so, I decided to make a dish that I relied on my memories of that one in
Capri. Note to my good readers...this is how you can create your own dishes...remember something you really
liked somewhere...make it exactly the same, OR, follow the pattern of the dish, or the plan, or it's structure (not
really sounding too appetizing all these technical terms)but really, following the dish I had in Capri...clams,
mild vegetables, wine, garlic, pasta...that's it..have fun with creating.
A view in Capri...of course I had just stopped outside of this Caseficio (a cheese producer, mozzarella, in Capri...like hitting the lottery for me!!).
Let scenes like this find their way into your pots and pans and onto your meal plates. Trust me...your food
will start tasting even better!! So, for this "Spring" day in the middle of February 2012, I came up with
VONGOLE PRIMAVERA...ok, it's not Spring..so what. It's only 4 weeks away, AND the temperature said
Spring...Asparagus...sounds like Spring to me, so Spring it was.
For this treat you need : 1 lb. good Imported Fettuccine (or Linguine), DeCecco is my preference...; 12 peeled and
diagonally cut Asparagus spears; 2 sliced cloves of garlic; 1 1/2 cup thin sliced and chopped Savoy Cabbage;
1/8 cup white wine; extra virgin Olive Oil; pinch of Peperoncino; juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 1/2 cups chopped clams
w/ their liquor.; 2 tbs. unsalted butter; sea salt...
In a wide pan, add 1 tbs of Olive Oil, and on medium heat gently saute' the Asparagus, sprinkle with a little salt. Let this saute', shaking the pan a few times, for about 6
minutes. Then add the cabbage, toss it around a few times so that the oil covers it all and let it cook down for
another 5 minutes. 
You can now get your water boiling and according to the package instructions, cook 1 lb of Fettuccine or
Linguine, about 7-8 minutes, just till al dente. Now add the garlic into the vegetable mix and let this get
fragrant, about 1 minute, then add the wine. Let this come to a boil then reduce the heat...stir in the
clams and their juice (liquor, love the sound of that when it comes to seafood...makes it taste even better).
Add the peperoncino.
Simmer this for about 5 minutes, the clams cook quickly. Taste the sauce for seasoning...don't add any salt
until you have come to this spot, sometimes the clams will be salty enough to carry the flavor (see, that's
what salt does...it carries the flavor to you taste buds). If you add too much during the process, there's no
turning back. Drain that pasta and add it to the sauce along with the 2 tbs of butter and about a tbs. of the
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and the lemon juice. Thoroughly mix the pasta with the sauce and let this simmer
for no more than 3 minutes in the sauce, then turn off the flame and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
This allows the Fettuccine to soak up all that sauce and still be nice and firm. The end result is not a bowl
of pasta swimming in way too much liquid...that's soup.. not a pasta dish. Now to further cause some
aggravation for some, I like a little extra olive oil drizzled on my portion, a little more peperoncino, and
some Parmigiano-Reggiano...that's abosolutely heresy to some Italian Seafood purists, but I can't lie to you
all, I love grated chese with my pasta and seafood dishes. This dish has a nice light touch to it, enjoy it
and I will enjoy knowing that Spring is really just around the corner. Serves 4.
You can now get your water boiling and according to the package instructions, cook 1 lb of Fettuccine or
Linguine, about 7-8 minutes, just till al dente. Now add the garlic into the vegetable mix and let this get
fragrant, about 1 minute, then add the wine. Let this come to a boil then reduce the heat...stir in the
clams and their juice (liquor, love the sound of that when it comes to seafood...makes it taste even better).
Add the peperoncino.Simmer this for about 5 minutes, the clams cook quickly. Taste the sauce for seasoning...don't add any salt
until you have come to this spot, sometimes the clams will be salty enough to carry the flavor (see, that's
what salt does...it carries the flavor to you taste buds). If you add too much during the process, there's no
turning back. Drain that pasta and add it to the sauce along with the 2 tbs of butter and about a tbs. of the
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and the lemon juice. Thoroughly mix the pasta with the sauce and let this simmer
for no more than 3 minutes in the sauce, then turn off the flame and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
This allows the Fettuccine to soak up all that sauce and still be nice and firm. The end result is not a bowl
of pasta swimming in way too much liquid...that's soup.. not a pasta dish. Now to further cause some
aggravation for some, I like a little extra olive oil drizzled on my portion, a little more peperoncino, and
some Parmigiano-Reggiano...that's abosolutely heresy to some Italian Seafood purists, but I can't lie to you
all, I love grated chese with my pasta and seafood dishes. This dish has a nice light touch to it, enjoy it
and I will enjoy knowing that Spring is really just around the corner. Serves 4.
Posted by peter battaglia at 2/24/2012 9:35 AM 
Categories: CLAMS
Tags: PASTA CLAMS ZUCCHINI SAVOY CABBAGE ITALIAN ITALIAN FOOD
Categories: CLAMS
Tags: PASTA CLAMS ZUCCHINI SAVOY CABBAGE ITALIAN ITALIAN FOOD
Twice a month every time I am going to the Fish Market in Brighton I buy clams and mussels for make Spaghetti Vongole, next time i will grab some spring vegetables for try your refreshing spring vongole
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just the sound of your going to Brighton is making me want to jump on a plane and head over to the U.K. Thanks for your comment and enjoy the vongole.. btw, Mousehole along the coast is in my top 5 spots of places I've been...just amazing...and the seafood was phenomenal!
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End of a cool and wet summer here, tho' today it is above 80 degrees I daresay. Your oh so appetizing dish will suit this weekend just fine. Pasta and clams, asparagus and cabbage: well the last two I have not used together [interesting combo!], but they too seem to be in the fridge! Taste report to come!
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good morning Eha!! the cabbage should be the Savoy variety as the green and white are too strongly flavoured (i spelled that your way!! ) for the dish otherwise. It's a nice light combo that gives you everything u need for a meal in one dish. Cheers and enjoy!
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I/we did enjoy
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