Linguine Con Le Vongole

Last weekend I learned that I don't actually hate clams. Which is kind of a big deal.

I really do wonder where my strong aversion to clams came from.
I love steamed mussels and enjoy raw oysters when I have my favorite accompaniments on hand - fresh lemon juice, Crystal hot sauce and a saltine cracker as a carrier.
And several years ago a friend in France rolled his eyes at my fiercely loyal Louisiana-style of eating oysters and made me try his homemade mignonette sauce with the Marennes-Oléron variety, opening my eyes to a new and incredible combination of flavors. (for which I am forever grateful!)



Clams, however...I've avoided them like the plague for as long as I can remember, despite my husband's repeated requests for me to make linguine con le vongole, a dish he remembers ordering and loving every time he ate out in Italian restaurants in NYC.

Last week, on the advice of a friend, I broke down and bought a half a kilo of tiny local clams, called coques, at the market in Courseulles-sur-Mer. At lunch that day my husband finally got his wish. We sat outside in the garden and enjoyed platefuls of pasta with a delicious, spicy, sweet, very garlicky clam sauce.

As for me...I have been converted. I am now a clam lover. They'll be in season all summer long here in Normandy, so I plan on making up for lost time. I've definitely been missing out!





This is the recipe I used.



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A Polite Introduction to Jamie Oliver

 

Jamie Oliver.
I remember when his Naked Chef series first hit America. People thought he was so cool, so hip. So very British.

Me, I just couldn't get past his informal, chatty demeanor and those expressions:  Cracking. Lovely jubbly. A glug of olive oil. A knob of butter. A swig of vinegar. Whack it in the oven.  Brill.
Jamie just didn't do it for me.  His cooking style was too imprecise and too unconventional.  I was used to watching the very professional, composed Mario Batali in Molto Mario and the serious Lidia Bastianich in Lidia's Italy. 

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