Mediterranean Summer (35 page)

4 large garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup pure olive oil

4 medium (about 1½ pounds) zucchini, sliced into
¹
/
₈
-inch-thick rounds

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

32 littleneck clams (about 3½ pounds), washed

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, plus extra for serving

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

12 ounces linguine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Lightly crush the garlic cloves and heat with both oils in a large nonreactive sauté pan over medium heat until they start to sizzle. Adjust the heat so the garlic continues to cook evenly in the oil, releasing its own essential oils and softens, but does not brown, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and carefully blend with the oil. Season with salt. Continue to cook slowly, stirring from time to time, until the squash is completely softened and starts to break apart but does not brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest in the oil for 2 hours. Pour into a fine-mesh strainer, reserving the zucchini and oil separately. Keep the same pan, without cleaning, for cooking the clams.

Heat the zucchini oil in the pan over medium heat until it starts to sizzle. Add the clams, cover the pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook the clams, gently shaking the pan from time to time, until they start to open, 5 to 6 minutes. Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of the clams and the thickness of the shells. Add the reserved zucchini, hot pepper flakes, and parsley. Gently stir with the clams. Set aside.

Boil the linguine in an abundant amount of salted water until done to taste. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining the linguine. Heat the clams and zucchini with the butter. Toss with the linguine, adding a little of the pasta water so that the zucchini and pan liquid coat the pasta like a sauce.

Transfer to a warm serving platter or individual pasta bowls. Start with the pasta, then top with the clams and zucchini. Serve
subito
—immediately—with extra hot pepper flakes on the side.

Wine Recommendation:
Whites from Campania, a Falanghina from Castello Ducale or Lacrima Christi from Villa Carafa

Spaghettini with San Marzano Red Clam Sauce

Spaghettini con Vongole in Sugo Rosso

MAKES 4 FIRST-COURSE OR LUNCH SERVINGS

Everyone should have a red clam sauce in his or her repertoire. This one is particularly good for smaller clams like littlenecks or clams sold as
vongole.
If you make this a couple hours ahead of serving, the sauce will take on a nice hint of clam flavor with the other aromatics. Except for the clams and the basil, all of the other ingredients come out of the pantry, making this an excellent recipe for getting on the express line at the store. With a few other things to round out the meal, you’ll still be buying fewer than ten items!

1 large garlic clove, peeled

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

4 pounds littleneck clams

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 tablespoon sliced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

One 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes with their juice, pureed (2 cups)

½ teaspoon sugar

Fine sea salt

12 ounces spaghettini

¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves

Lightly crush the garlic clove and heat with the pure olive oil in a large nonreactive sauté pan with a lid over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, gently shake and tilt the pan so the clove is immersed and sizzling at one side of the pan in a pool of the oil. As the clove starts to turn golden, lay the pan flat on the burner so the oil covers the entire surface. It is important the clams be dry so they don’t flare up because of any water on them when added to the hot oil. Add the clams and immediately cover the pan. Gently shake the pan from time to time with the cover on and cook until the clams start to open, 5 to 6 minutes. Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of the clams and the thickness of the shells. As they start to open, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet to cool. Strain the remaining liquid in the pan through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside. You should have about ½ cup.

Wipe out the pan and return to the stove over medium-low heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil, onion, and sliced garlic. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onion is softened and the garlic is just beginning to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Add half the parsley, the hot pepper flakes, the reserved clam juice, tomato puree, and sugar. Stir to produce an even consistency. If necessary, season with salt (this will depend on how salty the clam juice is). Adjust the heat to maintain a slow, even boil. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken and lightens in color, about 10 minutes. Stir from time to time, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon or paddle.

While the sauce is cooking remove the clams from the shells. When the sauce is ready, turn off the heat and add the clams with any residual liquid to the pan.

Cook the spaghettini in a liberal amount of salted water to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining the spaghettini.

A little at a time, add the pasta water to the sauce until it is a touch looser than seems correct. The pasta will absorb the sauce when it is added. Add the basil, then the spaghettini, and gently toss over the heat for a minute or so. If the pasta absorbs too much sauce and the pan looks dry, add a touch of pasta water as you work.

Transfer to a warm serving platter or individual pasta bowls. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the remaining chopped parsley. Serve
subito
(immediately) because
la pasta fredda non’ e buona!
Cold pasta is not good!

Entertaining Note:
The sauce can be made up to 2 hours before serving, when the clams are added back in.

Wine Recommendation:
From Campania, a white Greco di Tufo from Feudi di San Gregorio or a red Aglianico Murellaia from De Lucia

Dried Pasta with Tuna Sauce

Pasta Asciutta con Sugo di Tonno

MAKES 6 FIRST-COURSE OR LUNCH SERVINGS, OR 4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS

Just a few ingredients from the pantry and you have a great lunch or dinner main course. The method works for other seafood like shrimp and mussels.

1½ cups
Serenity
Marinara (Recipes)

Fine sea salt

3½ cups (12 ounces) dried short tube pasta like rigatoni, ziti, or penne rigate

One 6-to 8-ounce can or jar Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese tuna packed in oil, drained

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly chopped Italian parsley

Bring the sauce to a simmer in a pan large enough for both the sauce and the cooked pasta. Bring an abundant amount of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain, keeping a little of the pasta water. Add the tuna to the sauce, but do not overmix as it will break down when the pasta is added. Thin the sauce if necessary with a little of the reserved pasta water and adjust the salt to taste. Gently toss the pasta with the sauce and cook for a minute or so in the sauce. If the pan gets too dry and there is no residual sauce in the bottom, add a little more of the reserved pasta water so that there is an even coating of sauce around the pasta and a little in the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a serving platter or individual pasta bowls. Drizzle the top with a little extra virgin olive oil and finish with the parsley. Serve
subito
(immediately)!

Wine Recommendation:
A Sardinian Vermentino from Argiolas or Contini

Baked Snapper with Tomatoes and Olives

Pesce al Forno con Pomodori e Olive Neri

MAKES 8 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS

This versatile recipe for baking fish calls for snapper, but you can use any other tender, flaky fish like bass, sole, or bream. Once you get comfortable with the baking method, try using different herbs, olives, and spices like ground coriander or even a touch of cumin. Pitted Niçoise olives are available at specialty food stores and are worth the hunt. Unpitted will work as well—just remember to tell your guests! Serve with roasted summer squash.

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a little oil for drizzling

Eight 6-ounce pieces snapper fillet

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lightly toasted and ground fennel seeds

1 cup Niçoise olives, pitted

¼ cup dry white wine

1¾ pounds ripe but firm tomatoes, seeded and cut into
³
/
₈
-inch dice

½ cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Put 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in each of 2 baking dishes, each large enough to hold 4 pieces of fish with space in between. Put the dishes in the oven to heat the oil but don’t let it get to the smoking point.

With a sharp utility or boning knife, make a few shallow slices through the skin of each snapper fillet to keep them from curling in the hot oil. Season each piece on both sides with salt, pepper, and fennel. Place the fish in the hot oil, skin side down, to coat with the oil, then immediately turn with a fish spatula so that the skin side is up. The oil is the correct temperature if you hear a light sizzle when the fish is added. Divide the olives between the dishes, scattering them around the fish, then splash equal amounts of wine into each dish.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish is slightly firm and starts to flake when the tip of a knife is inserted into the flesh. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then divide them between the baking dishes, making sure they fall between the pieces of fish and into the hot pan juices. The tomatoes just need to get slightly wilted in the hot pans.

With a fish spatula, transfer the fish to warmed plates or a serving platter. Toss the basil in the olives and tomatoes, and when the leaves are coated with the pan juices, spoon the mixture over the fish. I always like to add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to finish for tradition’s sake. Serve immediately.

Equipment Note:
I don’t recommend using aluminum baking pans since the wine and tomatoes will react unfavorably and become bitter. Glazed ceramic, stainless steel, enameled cast iron, and Spanish
cazuelas
offer the best heat. Ovenproof glass will work too.

Entertaining Note:
You can bake the fish till about three-quarters done and hold it for up to an hour before serving. Drape plastic wrap over the fish to keep it moist. To serve, remove the plastic, spoon some of the pan juices over the fish, then finish in the oven. By the time you start to hear the ingredients in the baking dish sizzle, the fish will be ready. Continue as directed. To hold the tomatoes, coat them with a little olive oil and do not season until ready to add to the fish. Adding salt too soon will pull water from the tomatoes and make the finished dish too watery.