Summer Clam Pasta

Summer Clam Pasta 

It is tomato season. Oh how I love tomato season. I have some beautiful assorted tomatoes from my garden and the CSA. I halved the tomatoes and used them. If you want to use full size tomatoes, I suggest skinning them and dicing them. Also I have some beautiful herbs. I decided to use a combination of herbs in this recipe and it was wonderful. You can use whatever you have on hand or think would be a good mixture.  I only had one can of clams (this recipe really needs two). I really liked the addition of the lemon juice but you don't have to add it.  I used a combination of hard white cheeses from our CSA (a combination of goat and cow milk cheeses) so don't feel that you are limited to only using Parmesan cheese. I have a winter version of this pasta that uses canned tomatoes. It is good but lacks that fresh summer tomato and herb taste.

Summer Clam Pasta

2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, Thinly Sliced
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1/2 to 1 lb ( kg) of Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
Juice of One Lemon
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
2 6.5 oz (184 g) Cans of Clams, Divided
A Sprig or Two of Fresh Basil
A Couple of Shoots of Fresh Chives, Chopped
A Sprig of Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
A Couple of Sprigs of Fresh Parsley, Chopped
A Sprig of Fresh Oregano, Chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 Cup of Cheese, Grated
16 oz (454 g) Pasta, Cooked

Place oil and butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic, onions, salt, and pepper and sauté until caramelized.

Add the cherry tomatoes, the juice from two cans of clams and lemon juice. Raise the heat to medium and add the pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Simmer about 5 minutes. Add the clams and fresh herbs and heat for 5 minutes. Add pasta and combine. Grate cheese on the top.

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, I love this pasta. I really liked the bite from the lemon.