Food Porn: Spaghetti alle Vongole (Spaghetti with Clams)

(Click the above to view the bigger picture) The best Spaghetti alle Vongole I have ever tasted in my life! Spaghetti alle Vongole is a very popular pasta dish in Italy and can be found in most restaurants serving Italian or Mediterranean fares. Savored at the L'Incontro Bar and Restaurant in Hotel Savoy--one of the best and most refined ristorante in Firenze (Florence), Italy. Continue Reading "Food Porn: Spaghetti alle Vongole (Spaghetti with Clams)"

Recipe: Capellini with Cockle Clams and Lemon Butter Sauce

Remember my Italian sweet basil plant that I told you weeks ago? Thanks to my nurturing hands, it's blooming, growing, and abundant with leaves. Sometimes, I just pluck the leaves and straight away they go into my mouth. They are a quick pick-me-up and great as a palate-cleanser especially after some spice-laden Malaysian food. But the highlight has to be my newly "invented" recipe that makes good use of them--complete with my favorite clams!--capellini with cockle clams and lemon butter sauce. I got the inspiration when I went to a cafe with my co-workers a few weeks ago. The capellini dish that I had was topped with shrimp and spinach in butter sauce. I made a slight twist and replaced the shrimp with cockle clams, used sweet basil leaves instead of spinach, and added lemon juice for some extra zest... This dish was bursting with the briny taste of cockle clams, the freshness of diced roma tomatoes and sweet basil leaves, all happily married in an inviting and light lemon butter sauce. It was really good and I am very happy with my new "invention." If you love capellini, do try out my recipe. :) Related recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood Recipe: Capellini with Cockle Clams and Lemon Butter Sauce (Serves 2 - 3 people) Ingredients: 2/3 pack capellini (12 oz pack) 1 lb cockle clams 2 small roma tomatoes (diced) 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 stick (6 oz) unsalted butter Dried parsley flakes Sweet basil leaves Method: Bring water to boil in a pot. Cook the capellini according to the instructions on the package. While boiling the capellini, heat up a saute pan and add in the butter. As soon as the butter melts, saute the garlic until you start smelling the garlicky aroma (but before they turn brown). Add in the diced roma tomatoes and saute for 1 minute. Toss in the cockle clams and cover the saute pan and wait for the clams to open. Once all clams are open, add lemon juice, salt to the sauce, and toss in the sweet basil leaves (but leave some for garnishing). Drain the capellini and transfer to serving plates. Top the capellini with the cockle clams and lemon butter sauce. Sprinkle dried parsley flakes generously and add the sweet basil leaves before serving. Continue Reading "Recipe: Capellini with Cockle Clams and Lemon Butter Sauce"

Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood

My old roommate in San Francisco A taught me how to make pasta. When we were living together in the bay area many years ago, I was in charge of making Malaysian and Chinese food in the kitchen, while A excelled in western food. She made killer mash potatoes (from scratch!) and great pasta. While we didn't indulge in seafood-loaded pasta like this back then, her pasta was always delectable--with really simple ingredients such as unpeeled straw mushrooms, chicken or shrimp. It was a very humble, easy, and practical dish. It was great for our budgets, especially during the dot bomb days... If A were to read this post today, I am sure she would be amazed by my newly acquired cooking skill. I have since perfected my Italian pasta, plus I have upgraded the toppings to all our favorite fruits de la mer. I suspect she would ask for a second helping. *wink* To make it an ultra luxury dish, I got some fresh Florida rock shrimp. Both crunchy and succulent, Florida rock shrimp is worth every buck I spent. (They were priced at $19.95 per pound.) Throw in some calamari rings, scallops, shrimp, mussels, cherry tomatoes, and freshly-plucked sweet basil leaves, you have a 5-star dish that you can make anytime to impress yourself, or your guests. Click here to view the complete pictures set; a total of 8 pictures for your drooling viewing pleasure. Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood (Serves 3-4 people) Ingredients: 2/3 pack angel hair pasta (12 oz pack) 1/2 bottle (10 oz.) pasta sauce 4 oz. rock shrimp 1/2 lb mussels 6 shrimp 2 calamari (cut into rings) Italian sweet basil 8 cherry tomatoes (cut into halves) 3 gloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (or salt to taste) 2 tablespoons olive oil Dried parsley flakes Method: Bring water to boil in a pot and add in the mussels. As soon as all mussels are open, transfer the pot to the sink and drain the water. Rinse the mussels with cold water to get rid of foams. Set aside the mussels. Bring water to boil in a pot. Cook the angel hair pasta according to the instructions on the package. While boiling the pasta, heat up a deep saute pan with some olive oil. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add in all seafood except the mussels. Once the seafood are cooked, add in the mussels and cover the saute pan for about a minute. Add in oyster sauce (or salt to taste). Lower the heat to low. Drain the cooked angel hair pasta and divide them equally into 3-4 servings. Dish out the pasta sauce and pour it on top of the angel hair pasta. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, sweet basil leaves, and spinkle some dried parsley flakes on the dish. Serve immediately. Cook's notes: I used Prego brand traditional pasta sauce for this dish. See my new napkin? Isn't it cute? $2.00 each at Target! Continue Reading "Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood"