Memories of Linguine alla Vongole

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Recently, Bravo aired the season finale of Top Chef: Masters. With the number of DVRs ad OnDemand services out there, I'm not going to talk about the judging or who won, so don't worry about spoilers. During the episode though, they asked participants what dish first made them passionate about food. The question intrigued me. I wondered how I would answer the question; after a prolonged jaunt down Memory Lane, I finally figured it out.

Those who've read "My Culinary Philosophy" know the story the five year old me's epicurean curiosity being tweeked by the story book "Button Soup". Yet, I don't think my appetite for food was kicked into overdrive until seven years later. We lived in an unincorporated suburb about thirteen miles outside of Portland proper. A few miles away from us sat an Italian restaurant called Nona Emelia's. Even though the red barn-looking restaurant was, and still is, in Beaverton, it was earning one Portland restaurant award after another. Radio personalities were talking about the best pizza they had ever eaten; adult neighbors raved about the pasta to my parents. Finally, my parents put my two brothers and I in the car, and drove to Nona Emelia's for dinner.

Being white suburbanites, we'd had pepperoni, salami, provolone cheese and vegetables before, of course, but we hadn't had those foods served to us as antipasto to start a meal before. Thus, I was impressed right off the bat. It was my entrée though which truly converted me to foodyism. I had a gum soar, and didn't want Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, so I ordered the creamy non-acidic Linguine alla Vongole (Linguini with clams, garlic, herbs, and bacon in a cream sauce). The salty smokiness of the bacon played wonderfully against the flavors of the clams, garlic, and herbs all within the creamy smooth delivery system. I was hooked on Italian cream sauces from that moment on.

The next few years saw me trying to replicate the recipe. When I learned of the existence of Liquid Smoke, which would bring out the flavor of the bacon, I thought I'd cracked the last secret of the dish. Pleased with myself, I took the recipe to college with me. Eventually, I "taught" the dish to my friend and dorm neighbor, Gina. We had our parents drive down for an Italian meal, and made the dish for them. Unfortunately, I'd overlooked the need to save the bacon fat and thicken the sauce. The result was a garlicky clam flavored water-like substance over pasta.

After several more attempts, I finally hit upon the following recipe.
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Linguine alla Vongole (Linguini with Clam Sauce)

Ingredients:
12 ounces of linguine
2 8 oz cans of diced or minced clams
7 oz streaky bacon, diced
3 drops liquid smoke
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Procedure:
Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Drain the liquid from canned clams into the cream. Fry bacon until crisp, and crumble it. Add the diced bacon & clams to the pan, and simmer lightly. Cook the linguini, following packet directions and avoid over-cooking. Meanwhile, in a large skillet set over moderately low heat, melt the butter, add the rosemary and cook it, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the pan. Add the cream, salt, pepper, liquid smoke and nutmeg. Drain the pasta and add it to the large bacon pan, stir well. Remove the pan from the heat. Toss to coat and let reduce 1 to 2 minutes, gently stirring, or until lightly thickened. Add Parmesan to taste, toss to combine
and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve at once.
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Yes, I use canned clams. You can use fresh clams if you want, but you won't be able to add the juice from the can to flavor the sauce. I won't lie, my version is oh so close, but not quite as good as it's restaurant born counterpart. IT IS however, a delightfully savory smoky creamy dish, which hasn't disappointed me, or guests, for years.

So, what dish first inspired your passion for food and the culinary arts? Leave your answer in the comment section.
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Seafood Fraud Hurts Consumers

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Back on April 7th, I did a piece on mislabeled foods. Based on the findings of a class in New York, I calculated that 1 out of 6 foods (16.7%), may be mislabeled. I thought this was an outrageously high number. However, calculations regarding fish and seafood, released to the press last week, make my numbers look comparatively optimistic.

According to one Seattle news site, after a year of sporadic DNA testing, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) concluded that one third (33%) of fish imports have been mislabeled. Also released, was a report from the independent watch dog group, Oceana. The report entitled,“Bait and Switch: How Seafood Hurts our Oceans, our Wallets and our Health,” claims that fish and shellfish are mislabeled up to 70% of the time.

People intending to buy North West Red Snapper may actually be buying Catfish, Rockfish, Tilapia, Nile Perch, Mahi Mahi or the less sustainable Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper. You just bought some Grouper? Maybe you did, or you may've brought home filets of Catfish, Hake, Tilapia, Pollock or Nile Perch. Packages of Bluefin Tuna may in fact include Bigeye Tuna or Yellowfin Tuna. And, while it's hard to mistake another fish for Salmon, given its pink flesh, Salmon at your local grocery store may very well come from a fish farm, to spite the words “wild-caught” on the label.

Some people may be shrugging and thinking, "Last night's fish tasted good, whatever it was. Who cares?" Well, I can think of many reasons why consumers should care they're being duped. I covered many of these reasons; moral & legal objections to fraud, possible food allergies, and some consumers' attempt to buy sustainable foods; in my April piece. Since this is a food blog though, let's talk about flavor.

I'm most familiar with Salmon, so I'll use them as my example. When Salmon swim in the wild, they burn fat. When caught, eaters are sold fish which is mostly protein laced with a moderate amount of Omega-3, healthy fat. On the flip side, farm Salmon, which have less room to swim, develop a higher ratio of fats, and these fats are the less heart healthy Omega-6 fats. While increased fat content translates to increased flavor in beef and pork, farm raised Salmon are left with an oily taste and texture due to the higher fat content. Thus, when farm raised Salmon are labeled as being wild, consumers are being tricked into buying an inferior product for the price of a superior one.

So, what can consumers do to make sure they're getting what they're paying for? Eaters with means can ideally, drive to a coastal town and buy seafood as it comes off the boat. Barring that, buying shellfish in the shell and scaly fish with their heads and tales in tact, won't tell the average buyer if the purchase was wild caught or farm raised, but it's a good way to ensure you're at least buying the right species. Those of us who are fiscally incapable of buying a whole fish at a time, need to find a seller we trust and rely on that seller, even when rival supermarkets advertise, seemingly great, sales.

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Summer's here! If you're lucky enough to come across a whole wild Salmon this summer, here's what you do.

Grilled Salmon Recipe

Ingredients
1 whole salmon,
1 large lemon,
1 large red or white onion,
parsley,
olive oil,
salt & pepper to taste

Procedure
Stuff your Salmon with slices of lemon & onion, and a few sprigs of fresh parsley. Season the inside with salt & pepper to taste, drizzle the skin with olive oil, wrap the fish in a double layer of aluminum foil, and seal both ends. Bring your outdoor grill to maximum heat and place the Salmon on the grill. Cook approximately 10 minutes per inch measured at the thickest part (usually 40-50 minutes total cooking time), and make sure to flip it every 10 minutes. To test for doneness, make a small incision in the thickest part near the backbone. If there is any visible transparency, the fish is not done. The fish will be opaque when fully cooked.
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