Linguine with Clams {and our new deck furniture!}

I am feeling pretty fancy right about now...Sunday night Hubs and I made our first clam dish and it turned out great!  It was a perfect way to wine wind down from our busy weekend!  We also got to eat on our new deck set for the first time, which was great because it felt like a whole new room addition to our house.

First things first, we bought the clams from our specialty meat shop in town, Overland Meat Co.  I really trust their meat when it comes to trying new things {like tuna tartare}...I highly recommending seeking this type of store out in your area...it's worth it for the quality.

While we were looking for a suitable recipe...we kind of mixed and matched and came up with our own flavors.  The result was truly amazing...I'm telling you, this is a keeper!

Recipe:

• 2 dozen clams
• 1 lb linguine
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup dry white wine {like chardonnay}
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6-8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Basil for garnish

Heat large stock pot over medium high heat.  Add butter and let melt.  Add olive oil, garlic, and shallots and let saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add white wine and lemon juice and turn heat to high to let boil.

Boil water in separate pot and let linguine cook until al dente, per instructions.

Meanwhile, once the sauce is boiling, add clams and cover tightly.  {Note: clams need to be thoroughly cleaned in cold water.  Also, hubby suggests to not use a non-stick pan as these little suckers scratch!}  Most cookbooks will tell you to boil 3-5 minutes, or until the clams open...ours took 8-10 minutes to open.  Discard any clams that did not open.

Pull clams out of sauce and set aside.  Reduce sauce on low heat for 3-5 minutes.  Pour sauce over served pasta and spoon clams on top.  Garnish with salt, pepper, and basil to taste.

Oh and here's a little new preview of our deck furniture:

{Don't mind the boards and construction in the backyard!}

We're waiting for the pollen to subside so we can stain the deck...then I'll do a FULL "after" shot of the deck!

Oh yes...and did I mention we enjoyed the clams?  They were perfect with a crisp glass of chardonnay!

Hope you enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

xo natasha

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays