What's for Dinner? Here Are 86 Easy Dinner Ideas to Answer That Query

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Linguine With (double) Clam Sauce: A Recipe To Impress Dinner Guests

I don't know why people are so uncomfortable making fish and seafood at home. It's so easy to cook and is generally faster than chicken or beef. Maybe it's the buying that requires more intention. Fish and seafood grow in water. In the case of shellfish, tender flesh is protected by hard shells. That means a very short application of heat in a bath of flavorful liquid and a few condiments gives you high protein rewards. 

I recommend mastering linguine with clam sauce. It's a classic for a reason. I'm partial to making the dish "in bianco," meaning a "white" sauce that's really a transparent sauce of clam juices mixed with white wine, garlic, a bit of red chile, and a squeeze of lemon. I won't tell anyone if you enrich it with butter. But clams steamed with a couple ounces of tomato sauce is equally great, and depending on your pantry, might be easier to pull off at the last minute. This is a weeknight meal for me because it's so easy. The most difficult part is picking up really fresh clams. 

Childhood spaghetti with clam sauce was made with canned clams and bottled clam juice with no shells in sight. And it was good. When I had my first plate of the stuff in Italy and saw the tangle of pasta topped with clams in the shell, my thought was, "There aren't enough clams here." I quickly came to love the presentation and appreciate the flavor of those freshest of clams. 

But I'd like to introduce you to my solution to the clam quantity situation, my recipe for Linguine alle Doppio Vongole or Linguine with Double Clams. It was the most requested dish at my restaurant in the Marina, Angeli Mare. Half of the clams are first steamed open and meat removed from the shells. It is then coarsely chopped. All those juices are strained through a fine strainer. Then that broth is used to steam the remainder, which are served whole atop the pasta, which is first tossed with the chopped clams.

Most clams you find in markets these days are farmed and so are fairly clean, but you'll still want to give them a good scrub. As you go through this step, discard any that are gaping open. They are dead and you DO NOT want to cook any clam that isn't still alive. If you see a clam that has a small smile, tap on it. It should quickly close tightly. If not, discard. Occasionally a clam feels too heavy for its size. It's probably filled with mud and should also be discarded. I generally purge my clams to ensure no sand ends up in the dish. To do this, place your scrubbed clams in a bowl and cover with cool but not icy cold water to which you've added enough salt to approximate the sea. I start with 1 pound of manilla clams, which is enough for four people if you're not doubling up. Let them sit for about an hour in the salted water, which gives you time to peel and chop the amount of garlic that makes you happy. I generally use one clove per person. 

Take a skillet big enough to accommodate them in one snug layer (if you have a couple doubled up, that's fine) and drizzle enough good olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add half the garlic, and briefly cook it until it turns opaque and releases its aroma. Add a cup of dry white wine and a good pinch of chile flakes and half the clams. Cover the pan and turn the heat on. Steam the clams just until the shells pop open, giving the pan an occasional shake. It shouldn't take more than a minute or so. Discard any clams that don't open. Remove the clams from the pan, taking the meat out of the shell. Discard the shells and put the meat in a small bowl. Strain whatever juices have collected in the pan and reserve. When the clam meat is cool enough, chop it coarsely. You can do this part in advance. Just before people come to the table, chop up some parsley. I like it on the coarser side, but go fine if that's your thing. 

Put water on to cook the pasta. Now cook the remaining clams with more olive oil filming the pan, the reserved clam juices, the other half of the chopped garlic, more red chile flakes, and a couple tablespoons of chopped parsley. Remove the whole open clams from the pan and add the chopped clams, gently reheating them. Add a good squeeze of lemon and taste the juices for salt. If you want to enrich the sauce with a tablespoon or so of butter, add it now. Strain the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet with the juices and chopped clams. Toss. Put the pasta in individual serving bowls and top with whole clams.

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Linguine Vs. Fettuccine Vs. Spaghetti: What's The Difference?

Standing in the pasta aisle can be a surefire way to experience a decision-paralysis episode. There are hundreds of varieties, and to the untrained eye, it can feel a bit like choosing between "dusty rose" and "rose gold" paint swatches.

It can even be tough to distinguish the difference between three of the classics: linguine, fettuccine, and spaghetti. Below, we break down what sets these noodles apart, and why the distinction can make a big difference in your dish.

Linguine Linguine with clams. / Luc TEBOUL/GettyImages

Linguine, which means "little tongues" in Italian, is a long, flat noodle. Wider than spaghetti but narrower than fettuccine, it has a smooth, flat surface that pairs well with light, delicate sauces like pesto. It doesn't overpower the ingredients it's often paired with, which makes it a solid choice for dishes where you want your sauce to shine.

Fettuccine Fettuccine alfredo. / Burcu Atalay Tankut/GettyImages

Fettuccine's name—which translates to "little ribbons"—tells us a lot about its shape. The pasta is broad and generally 1/4-inch thick; it's about twice as wide as linguine. The wide, flat shape makes fettuccine a great vessel for heavier sauces, especially creamy ones like Alfredo or a meaty bolognese. 

Spaghetti Spaghetti and meatballs. / RF Pictures/GettyImages

Even if you aren't familiar with linguine or fettuccine, spaghetti is a noodle you've certainly seen before. Spaghetti is the most popular pasta shape (and it's also one of the easiest to industrially manufacture). Unlike fettuccine and linguine, this pasta is not flat, and is instead cylindrical. Its long, thin shape is perfect for twirling around on your fork. Because it lacks the thickness of broader shapes like fettuccine, spaghetti is best paired with lighter sauces like marinara, carbonara, or even a simple combination of garlic and olive oil. 

How to Choose the Right Pasta Shape

Choosing between the three above pasta types boils down to the kind of dish you want to create, as the shape will affect the desired outcome. If you're making a lighter sauce or looking for something to pair with veggies or seafood, consider linguine. But if you want a heavy, hearty sauce, then fettuccine will be a better choice. And if you're looking for some classic Italian American comfort food, then you can't go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs.

Linguine With Shredded Arugula, Lemon, Chile And Parmesan

Linguine With Shredded Arugula, Lemon, Chile and Parmesan This simple pasta has been on the menu at Sean's in North Bondi Beach, Australia, since 1993. It can be an appetizer or a main. Sean always has the integral element, the chile oil, on hand so he can whip it up in minutes—hence the large volume of chile oil this recipe makes. As long as you're making it for this recipe, you might as well have enough left over to make this dish a regular part of your summer rotation and also bring a gentle lift to all sorts of pastas and salad dressings.

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes(includes making chile oil)

Active Time: 20 minutes

serves: 4

Ingredients For the chile oil:

12 long red chiles (5-6 inches long), such as Fresno or Holland

1 head garlic

8 cups (2 quarts) extra-virgin olive oil

For the pasta:

1 pound linguine

Kosher salt

4 generous handfuls arugula

7 ounces Parmesan (preferably Grana Padano)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the chile oil: Preferably wearing gloves, remove stems and seeds of chiles. Peel garlic cloves. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with oil. Gently simmer over low heat until all moisture has evaporated from chiles and garlic is golden, about 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chiles and garlic to a blender. Cool slightly, then blitz with just enough oil to form a coarse paste. Return paste to oil. Store in sterilized glass jars and seal. Shake well before use.

Make the pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and season with a handful of salt. Add linguine and cook according to package instructions until al dente, separating strands occasionally.

Meanwhile, wash, shake dry and shred arugula. Roughly chop Parmesan to the texture of roughly chopped nuts.

In a bowl large enough to toss linguine, combine lemon juice, minced garlic, and enough chile oil to coat pasta. Use tongs to lift pasta into prepared bowl, draining it as you go but taking a little pasta water along with the noodles to emulsify the sauce. Add arugula and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and toss together until pasta is saucy and glossy. Taste and tweak as needed with more chile oil, lemon or cheese.

Adapted from Sean Moran of Sean's, North Bondi, Australia

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What's for Dinner? Here Are 86 Easy Dinner Ideas to Answer That Query

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