Clams!!!

I have always loved eating seafood. Everything from lobster, oysters, seabass, tilapia. EVERYTHING!! I started baking in my teens, and started really cooking, like following recipes and having it taste good, in my early twenties. I never cooked seafood at home. I'm not sure why not. Maybe it was because I loved it so much, I didn't want to mess it up. But anyway, I recently started making seafood dishes at home. Here is my first attempt at spaghetti alla vongole!

 It was so simple, I couldn't believe it! I sauteéd some garlic and onions, threw in a sprinkle of red chili flakes, then threw in 2 pounds of clams, and a cup of white wine. I steamed the clams until they're open, and tossed it with the pasta, and garnished with cilantro. I think the most time consuming part of this recipe was cutting the garlic and onion.

Last night, I decided to try making something else with clams. Here is the outcome:

It is clams in tomato broth. I first sauteéd garlic, onions, and celery. Really, it was just what I happened to have in the fridge. Once the onions softened, about 5 mins, I added a 28-once can of diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, and 1.5 cups of water. I threw in some worcestershire sauce too, since I had some in the fridge (see a trend here? lol). Oh, I also threw in red chili flakes. I brought the sauce to a boil, then simmered for about 30 mins. Then I added a handful of chopped parsley, and threw in the clams. I had 3 pounds of clams this time. I meant to buy 2 pounds, but the supermarket I was at was self-serve, and I thought I had scooped 2 pounds, but clearly I need help estimating weight. I let the pot simmer until the clams opened, and served. I had mine plain like the picture above, but I made some pasta for Cal's clams.

All in all, cooking clams was not as hard as I thought it would be. I think next time, I will substitute mussels, and make some garlic bread too!

xoxo
- Meesh