Clams and Linguini

18-24 cherrystone clams

1 cup white wine

2 cups water

1 lb. linguini

3 cloves garlic

1 onion, finely diced

1 large tomato, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp butter

several dashes Pete’s hot sauce

chopped chives

Steam the clams in the wine and water for about 10 minutes, until clams open. Meanwhile sauté the onion in the butter and oil. Then add the garlic. Set aside. Add a bit of olive oil to the pan and heat to high. Add the tomatoes and hot sauce and sear until caramelized a bit for about 3-5 minutes. Return onion and garlic to pan.

Remove opened clams from broth. Remove clams from shells and dice. Reserve about 1 cup clam broth (salty!) for sauce. Add remaining to pot with enough water to make about 2 quarts. Bring to a boil and cook linguini al dente. Drain linguini and toss in serving bowl with clams, tomato mixture and reserved broth. Top with chopped chives and parmesan cheese.

Poolside Dips

Under construction

And now for Some Real 4th of July Holiday Grilling...

Asian BBQ Pork Spareribs1 rack (about 4 lbs. ) pork spare ribs, cut into 2-rib sections
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced

BBQ Sauce:
½ cup BBQ sauce
½ cup pale dry sherry
½ cup Triple Sec orange liquor
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste with Garlic or other hot chili sauce (we like Texas Pete’s)

This dish was cooked using a gas grill for grilling. Start grill heating to high. Mix together sauce ingredients. Heat a Dutch oven on the stove and sauté the onion in a bit of canola oil until just softened about 5 minutes. Then add the apple and garlic and simmer on low for another few minutes. Meanwhile oil and salt the rib portions generously and grill on high for 5-7 minutes per side, until well browned – flames and blackening allowed! Tip ribs into Dutch oven, add the BBQ sauce, cover and braise on low for 45 minutes, turning once or twice.

Reheat grill to low. Remove ribs from oven and grill very slowly on low as you reduce the BBQ sauce in the Dutch oven to a thick consistency. Then start basting the ribs, turning often to finish the grilling and form a nice glossy sheen to the ribs.

Healthy 4th of July Grilling

Grilling is the default cooking method on the 4th of July in America. If you’ve already met your beef and brat quota – try some fish – it grills up great.

Grilled Red Snapper with Mango Mint Salsa

Salsa:
1 mango cubed
2 Tbsp. fresh mint
2 Tbsp. minced cilantro
2 Tbsp. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. olive oil
juice of ½ lime
zest of ½ lime
½ tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper

dash red pepper flakes (or minced jalapeno)

4 Red Snapper fillets
Salt and pepper and paprika to taste

Mix together salsa ingredients and let stand at least half an hour. Score fish skin in several places to keep skin from curling and bowing the fillets too much when grilled. Place fillets, skin-side down on a platter and brush with canola oil. Season generously with salt and freshly-ground pepper, or your favorite Fish, Cajun or Caribbean spice mix. Heat grill and oil grate well.

Place fillets skin side up on grill and cook for 5 minutes without moving fillets (step away – if you move them before they have seared a bit, they will tear apart!). Gently flip fillets and cook another 3 to 4 minutes just until done. Gently remove fillets to a serving platter and top with a bit of salsa. You can also use a grill pan for very good results if it’s not grilling weather, and other fish also works with this salsa equally well.