Well Saturday was as usual a busy day, long walk with Bell, lots of errands and a slight
wine-over from pizza night at one of our local wineries. So by the end of the day and before
I had to make an appearance at ANOTHER winery party, (it’s a dirty job) I had an urge
for some pasta. maybe a seafood pasta, something with a little kick. So what’s in the pantry
and what’s in the freezer. This whole craving probably started with pizza night where the
winery also offers a whole main lobster dinner, 1 1/2 lbs for $30. The west coast flatlanders
go crazy for it and pack the place. And I have to admit the pizza is thin crust and incredibly
delicious. But oh what a sin it is, very few of them really know how to do a lobster justice
and throw oh so much away. My uncle Bob, rest his soul, a lobster fisherman in Maine
would have a fit if saw what they waste. I finally had to show one gal who had a larger one
she special ordered just how much meat was in the body and the legs, they were amazed
and I was then the recipient of lots of free thank you wine, that’ll teach me. So anyway I
had some whole wheat linguine, large shrimp and a can of whole baby clams along with a
26 oz jar of pasta sauce ( ragu is still my favorite, just wish they had prince spaghetti out
here). So even with having to go to another party after dinner ya can’t have pasta and red
sauce without a glass of red wine. So when I thought about my recipe it made sense to go
with a Doce Robles barbera which turned out to be a perfect compliment to the spicy rich
tomato sauce. you can get Doce Robles Barbera at
www.bargainsonwine.com
at an
incredible bargain price, so take a look.
SPICY PASTA DEL MAR – serves 4 to 6
1 medium onion diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 (10 oz) can whole baby clams – drained
2 tsp minced garlic
1 (26 oz) jar Ragu red pasta sauce – traditional
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ( or to taste – I do a 1/4 tsp )
1 lb medium shrimp peeled and deveined
3/4 lb linguine – cooked and drained
In large sauce pan saute onion in oil until tender. Add clams and garlic, cook and stir 1
minute. Stir in pasta sauce, basil, thyme, black pepper and cayenne. Heat, stirring
occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Add shrimp, reduce heat and cook until shrimp
are pink and cooked through. Toss linguine with sauce and serve with grated Parmesan or
any hard cheese and some good Italian or sourdough bread. Oh and don’t forget the Doce
Barbera.
Well that was simple and fast for a Saturday night but now its time to think about dinner for
11 on St. Patrick’s day in Medford. Well I did a little research and of course corned beef and
cabbage is the tradition. However there is not a lot of diversity in Irish cuisine. But after a
little looking here’s the menu for Thursday night.
Killian’s Red Irish Margaritas
Emerald deviled eggs
Irish soda bread
corned beef, root vegetables and sauteed cabbage
green creme de menthe pie with baileys and a splash of green creme de menthe on the
rocks
So look for the recipes in tomorrows blog. Enjoy another glass of that great Doce barbera
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