Linguine with Clam Sauce
3 ½ to 4 ½ dozen small little neck clams
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons margarine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 / 2 cup white wine
1/ 4 cup parsley, chopped
Oregano
Basil
Salt and pepper
1 16 ounce box of linguine
1. Scrub clams well under cold water. Place in a large pot with ½ cup water. Cover pot and simmer until clams pop open (about 10 to 15 minutes). Remove opened clams from pot. Take clams from shells, place in a bowl, then discard empty shells. Strain clam broth from pot through a cloth. Reserve clam broth in a bowl, set aside. Chop clams into smaller pieces on a cutting board, then return to bowl.
2. In a large frying pan heat butter and margarine with olive oil. Add chopped garlic and onion, sauté until tender. Add oregano, parsley, basil, clam broth, white wine, salt and pepper, continue to cook. Add clams last. Continue to simmer on a low flame
3. In the meantime cook the linguine al dente.
4. In a large serving bowl, place cooked linguine. Pour clam sauce over center of pasta bowl. Toss .
5. ENJOY – Pasta with clams, seafood made at home!
© This recipe courtesy of Somebodys-Mom.com
What happened to the family dinner?
I miss Sunday family dinners. In the good old days, we’d gather for the 2:00 pm Sunday dinner because that’s what you did on Sundays with immediate or extended family. It was the norm; no questions asked. After I had my own family, I tried to continue hosting Sunday family dinners. More often than not, my mom, aunt and uncle would join us. It has been difficult to carry on the tradition as my children no longer live nearby. Most Sundays I will cook up a storm and my husband and I will have a nice dinner together, with leftovers for Monday’s dinner and maybe a lunch for work. Just the two of us at the table is too quiet for me. So, whenever I get an opportunity to have a family dinner with all of our children and grandchildren, I usually go all out.
Recently, I had the chance to have a family dinner with everyone on a Saturday night instead of on a Sunday. As I shopped for the big dinner, planning on preparing shrimp, I spied these little neck clams. These little clams inspired me to prepare something different, like linguine in clam sauce, a favorite of my husband’s. Once the main dish is established, it’s easy to put together a menu.
My daughter, Marisa, requested stuffed mushrooms and her wish was granted. Luckily, my kids eat pretty much anything; I am the fussy eater in the family.
My Saturday night menu: stuffed mushrooms, antipasto platter with Italian bread, fresh vegetables with hummus dip, chips and sour cream dip, and to my grandkids’ delight, deviled eggs as appetizers.
The main dishes were linguine in clam sauce, a tray of sausages with peppers, meatballs, a tray of stuffed shells (for anyone who doesn’t like clams) and salad.
Dessert consisted of strawberries, homemade cookies and mini cheesecakes, and donuts for the kids. I thought this was a lot of food. Apparently not, from my daughter, Marisa’s, comment, “Mom you didn’t make as much food as you usually do!” Really, come on. At the end of the day, there was very little food leftover.
Whether it is too much food or too little food, Sunday afternoon or Saturday night, at the end of the day, I am happy because we had our family dinner together. Life just doesn’t get better than that!
Somebody's Mom 
Yuuummmyyyy!
Wow, this looks absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing 😄