Spaghetti With Clams In Paper

Recipe Ingredients

4		Small fresh clams
		= (like mahogany or Littleneck clams)
1 cup	237ml	Dry white wine
		For The Sauce
1/4 cup	59ml	Olive oil
1 cup	237ml	Thinly-sliced scallions - (abt 10)
1 cup	237ml	Thinly-sliced fennel - bulb only
2 teaspoons	10ml	Diced seeded jalapeño pepper - or more to taste
2 teaspoons	10ml	Garlic cloves - minced (large)
1/2 cup	118ml	Diced drained dried tomatoes in olive oil
3/4 teaspoon	3.8ml	Fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Coarsely-ground black pepper
1/2 cup	118ml	Dry white wine
1/2 cup	20g / 0.7oz	Chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons	22ml	Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 lb	454g / 16oz	Store-bought spaghetti, linguine, or
		Shells

Recipe Instructions

Scrub the clams and soak in several changes of water (discard any with broken shells).

Cut four sheets of parchment paper into 13- by 22-inch pieces and set aside.

Rinse the clams, place them in a large saute pan, add the 1 cup of wine, cover the pan, and cook over medium heat just until the clams open. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Discard any clams that do not open.

Strain the cooking liquid through damp cheesecloth into a bowl; reserve 1 cup of it, and set it aside. Shuck the clams, leaving eight in their shells. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook the scallions and fennel, stirring, until the fennel softens; stir in the diced jalapeño and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens but does not brown. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved cooking liquid and the 1/2 cup wine. Stir once or twice, reduce the heat to low and let the sauce cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and shucked clams. Cover the pan and keep warm while the spaghetti cooks.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the pasta following the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the clams; toss well to distribute the sauce. Divide the mixture among the parchment papers, mounding it in the center of each sheet. Place two of the remaining clams in the shells on top of each sheet. Bring the corners of the parchment paper up and twist them in the center to form a bundle. Tie each with kitchen string.

Place the bundles on a cookie sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer each bundle to four individual shallow soup bowls and serve immediately, allowing, each person to open his or her own bundle.

Note: For a less showy presentation, transfer the pasta and sauce directly to a platter.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Source:
Ciao Italia at http://www.ciaoitalia.com

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