Clamming Memories

Today's recipe is one that I got from my grandmother, at least I think that's where it comes from. She's the one I remember making it for me. If you're in the mood for seafood and don't want a complicated recipe, this is a good one to try: clam spaghetti.

First a little family history. When I was growing up, my grandmother lived in the small coastal town that Scooter and I now love to frequent when we want to get away on the weekend. Gramma had a house up on the hill near the school that some of the scenes from the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds" was filmed. There used to be a wood and steel play structure at the school with a tire swing--absolutely the most fun to be had for an eight-year-old child (sadly it's not there anymore). Visiting Gramma was the best thing about the summer--well, that and the camping trips my parents took BD and I on. If my week with Gramma was timed right, I would be there during the lowest tides; we called them the minus tides. The water would get really low and all the sand in the harbor would be exposed except for in the deep channel that allows the boats to come in and out of the harbor even during the lowest possible tides. If the minus tides happened during my time there, it always meant that I would get to go clamming.

We would wake up very early in the morning when the harbor and the town were still enshrouded by fog. After a quick breakfast that consisted of coffee for the grandparents and juice and granola bar for me, we would pack up buckets and shovels and galoshes and drive down to the spot that was Gramma's favorite place to dig for clams. I always got to sit in the back bed of the truck--something that would never happen now since, as many people would say, times have changed. Inevitably, after going back to the house and having a good brunch, my fascination would spur me to help with shucking the clams (okay, more watching than helping). Gramma would then take all the pieces and store them in the freezer for clam chowder, clam spaghetti, and anything else she fancied putting clams in. Something I always found funny was all the water marks on the walls and floor around the clam bucket from the clams spitting (we would leave them while we ate brunch). Here's a tip: don't store a bucket of live clams in any location you wouldn't want to get wet. You will thank me.

Now the recipe.
What you'll need:
1/2 bunch of parsley with the stems removed
1 large handful of basil leaves
8-10 cloves of garlic
1/4 medium onion, slivered
2 cans chopped clams, 2 Tbs. juice reserved
1/2 cube butter or margarine
1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll need to do:
1. Chop the parsley, basil, garlic, and onion together until fine. You can use a wooden chopping bowl, or a food processor (for the lazy or the overworked).
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped herb mixture and saute for 10-15 minutes. Onion should be a little transparent.
3. Add the chopped clams and the reserved juice. Continue to saute until the juice has been mostly absorbed, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and pour over cooked pasta (angel hair, linguine, and spaghetti all work well). Serve hot.

You will want the amount of herbs listed in the ingredients because they will cook way down, so you'll be left with a lot less than you started with volume-wise. Also, it is important to cover the skillet once you've added the clams because they may pop as they cook (not sure exactly why they do that)--and you don't want to find bits of food on your walls. If you really want to impress, putting this over homemade pasta (which isn't as hard to make as you might think) will definitely create a wow factor.

Enjoy!