Recipe: Linguine with Manila Clams and Spicy Sausage and Variations

LINGUINE WITH MANILA CLAMS AND SPICY SAUSAGE

"I wouldn't say that anything goes in the kitchen, but I am an ardent supporter of improvisation. This recipe respects Italian tradition but uses ingredients from around the world in a way that makes it unique, combining the spiciness of paprika-tinged chorizo sausage and the brininess of shellfish. Clams have a distinct flavor of their own, but get along well with other foods, absorbing the qualities of whatever they're cooked with. Here, they take on the spices and richness of the chorizo."



Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 or 4 olive oil-packed flat anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed, patted dry, and roughly chopped (optional)
1/2 cup onion cut into small dice
1/2 pound cured chorizo* or other lightly spicy, Spanish-style sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 dozen fresh Manila clams, in their shells, well scrubbed
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can plum tomatoes, seeded and crushed, with their juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound uncooked linguine or spaghetti
1/4 cup basil leaves cut into julienne
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat; add 2 tablespoons salt.

While the water is coming to a boil, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped anchovy fillets, if using, and saute over medium heat until the anchovies begin to melt and dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and chorizo and saute until the chorizo begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the clams and the garlic to the saucepan. When the garlic has softened but not browned, add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, 5 minutes.

Pour in the white wine, cover the pan, and cook until the clams steam open, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large serving bowl.

When the clams are done, use tongs to remove and discard any that have not opened. Add the basil to the pan with the sauce and continue cooking for just a minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

TO SERVE:
Mound some pasta on each plate and spoon some sauce over the pasta, being sure to include some chorizo and clams in each serving. Top each portion with parsley and serve at once.

*Its name is used by many as a generic way to reference spicy sausage Spain and Latin America, but in reality there are dozens of types of chorizo. It's available in fresh, partly cured, and dried forms.

VARIATIONS:
- Replace the chorizo with an Italian-style fresh hot sausage, or skip the sausage entirely and use tiny shrimp called brine shrimp. If you leave out the chorizo and don't replace it with any other sausage, you'll have a good, basic red clam sauce to which you can add mussels and/or diced and sauteed red and green bell peppers.

- Spice up the sauce with a last from second addition of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes.

- Skip the pasta and serve the sauce over steamed rice.

Servings: 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course
Source: Nightly Specials by Michael Lomonaco and Andrew Friedman