More homemade pasta! I picked up some littleneck clams and wanted to serve them steamed in white wine over pasta, so I decided to give homemade pasta another try. This time I managed to get the pasta thinner, which gave it a more delicate texture. It worked perfectly with the tender steamed clams.
I cooked the clams in white wine with garlic and saffron, and since I remembered just moments before that I had a few strips of leftover bacon, I tossed that in too. The result was clam meat with a fresh kick of wine and saffron, and a rich, salty sauce that provided a very complimentary contrast.
Steamed Clams with Saffron and Bacon
- 14-16 cleaned littleneck clams
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 pinch saffron (2-3 threads)
- 2-4 slices thick-cut bacon
- flour
- 1 Tbs heavy cream (optional)
Slice the bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook them until they begin to get crisp around the edges, then set aside. Mince the garlic and sauté it in the olive oil until golden. Add the white wine, water, saffron and clams. Cover, and let the clams cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the bacon. Recover and let cook until all the clams are open.
Transfer the clams and bacon to another bowl and thicken the pan sauce with flour and cream. Then toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, serve and top with the clam and bacon. Top with freshly-ground pepper. Parsley or Parmesan might make a nice garnish as well.
Yum! That looks delicious!