Sunday, November 22, 2015

Linguini with Clam Sauce

Sundance put me onto linguini with clam sauce because he was a good wife too.  I have been looking for Progesso Clam Sauce as they have nice one (I think it was them) but I have failed to find it.

So, the next move is to drop down and make it up from scratch.  Here's one recipe for Linguini with Clam Sauce @ AllRecipes.com.

On seeing any recipe, the first thought is, ok, how can I screw with it.  The one I spot fastest is vegetable oil as my thinking is olive oil.  For cooking, I'll be wanting medium olive oil as the ultra-virgin, never even thought about sex olive is the top shelf for salads, etc.  One level below that for cooking and one layer below that for frying.  But then you look at what it costs next to vegetable oil and think ... hmmm ...

Some of you won't like seeing that butter but I don't want to change that because I want the fat.  I'm such a purist (i.e. bitch) about what I eat that fat is necessary to balance granola, soup, etc.

The recipe can be extended with chicken broth and that was my biggest question since I've had minced clams (canned) for a while and also baby shrimp but I couldn't find the sauce.  That's solved with the chicken broth, butter, etc.

My problem with it previously was finding it a bit too thin but the butter may deal with that.  Thickening it too much would not be good but just a wee bit would be just swell.

It needs more zing, tho.  Only spices are basil, pepper, and parsley and that's not exactly going to fly you around the Moon.  An easy move is to use some Cholula hot sauce or tabasco (i.e. base for Cholula).  That will definitely bring some heat but we need subtlety too.  Unknown what a wee bit of oregano would do but it doesn't seem anything bad.

Side-note: I found a brand, I think from Mexico, of spices and all were under a dollar.  Most spices are $4 to $6 so, for me, this is a steal.  They don't have a wide variety but I definitely grab what they have.  I sure do miss my spice rack from Rhode Island as I racked every strange thing I could find.

The experiment will happen soon but there's not a rush because everything is in cans or bottles.


Something not an experiment and ultra-easy is to get some Wolf Brand Chili, a long-time Texas favorite although not my favorite, and present that Cincinnati style.  Boil up some spaghetti for the bottom layer.  Put the Wolf Brand Chili over that and shredded cheddar over that.  If you're not getting enough fat, that'll do yer.


All in all, it would have been much better if I had learned to be the wife before I got divorced.  There are some grand ironies in life and I won't dwell on the negative aspect of that since I'm well-aware of my screw-up but the irony exists nevertheless.  Gents, there ain't no more romantic way to pitch a woo to a woman than prepare a meal for her.  You just sit there, darlin', and this will be ready in no time.  By the way, would you care for some wine?

You think I'm foolin'?  Alright, go ahead on thinking that, Mister Desperate and Dateless (larfs).

2 comments:

Kannafoot said...

A couple of comments from a dyed-in-the-wool Clam-Eating Rhode Islander of Italian descent...

1. Do not substitute Olive Oil for Vegetable Oil. Different viscosity, different flash point, and a dramatically different flavor all make them non-interchangeable in that recipe.

2. Stick to clam sauce, not chicken broth.

3. If it needs more "zing", true Italians will use crushed red pepper.

4. Don't skimp on the clams! They are what make the broth.

Unknown said...

All excellent suggestions and I like the crushed red pepper better than the tabasco idea anyway. May just have to give this one a go. It's one of the finest of the po' house meals. It sounds expensive but it isn't and highly tasty. Fast food don't got nothin' on this.