meal yet!!
After a really pathetic day (hard boiled egg for breakfast and almonds throughout the day) I was once again STARVING when I got home. On top of that R was back at his place so I was cooking for one. For some reason I never feel like making a big effort if I'm the only one eating. Nevertheless I looked up some recipes for dinner and wasn't very impressed with anything. Then some co-workers started talking about pasta with a tomato clam sauce and I decided to give it a try.
Of course, I didn't have everything I needed (still working on that) so I went to La Bottega to pick up a few things. Some bread, diced tomatoes, italian spices, cheese, olives and artichokes. I got a sudden craving for artichokes when I walked into the store so I had to find a recipe that included clams and artichokes. Luckily the internet rarely fails me. I found the perfect thing on myrecipes.
I'll post it here but look below for my alterations:
Linguine with Clams and Artichokes in Red Sauce
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup sauce and 1 cup pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons diced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (26-ounce) jar tomato-basil pasta sauce
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 (10-ounce) can baby clams, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Add wine and next 4 ingredients (wine through clams); reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in basil and parsley. Serve sauce over pasta.
CALORIES 434 (19% from fat); FAT 9.2g (sat 1.3g,mono 5.4g,poly 1.6g); IRON 6.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 31mg; CALCIUM 297mg; CARBOHYDRATE 65.6g; SODIUM 957mg; PROTEIN 12.9g; FIBER 6g 
To start I didn't have shallots but I did have garlic and mushrooms that I really wanted to use. I sauteed the two for about two minutes before adding a bit of white wine. I didn't have any cooking wine so I had to crack a bottle I had chilling in the fridge. I didn't mind too much... I just poured myself a glass as well. They say you should cook with a wine you want to drink so the meal matches perfectly! I had a 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay from Wayne Gretzsky Estates.
Once the alcohol burned off a while I added the can of diced tomatoes and a sprinkle of "italian spice." I went shopping before finding the recipe so I didn't have the tomato sauce it called for but I figured it would be OK. I then added the can of clams with water and some artichokes.
I forgot, however, that making a sauce with tomatoes and not sauce generally requires tomato paste and that inspired me to add a "gadget" to my page where I can create a "must have" list for my pantry.
I decided to make a note of time today. I started chopping at 6:25 and by 6:38 the sauce was essentially done at least it would have been if I had followed the proper recipe. Because I used the diced tomatoes the sauce was very runny so I decided to let it boil down for about twenty minutes.
While all of this was going on I cooked up some pasta and shaved some parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
I also got to thinking... all of this cooking creates a lot of dishes. At the same time while I'm waiting for things to simmer or bake I have plenty of time to get things done around the kitchen. I feel very industrious!
Finally it was time to eat and I was really uncertain about how it was going to taste and whether it would be thick enough but I loved it! It was so delicious! And the wine paired perfectly!!
Don't worry though - I'll make up for any day I don't make an original recipe on a day like Sunday when I cook more than one. I hope.
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