From the meeting of sea and land comes this amazing dish, Pasta with Clams and Zucchini Cream. A tasty and visually stunning first course, perfect to serve on special occasions.
Clams and zucchini are the winning combination for a delicious and inviting dish. The contrast between the freshness of the clams and the creaminess of the zucchini creates a delightful recipe, which is a true triumph of flavors.
Moreover, this dish is also visually appealing, with the bright green of the zucchini cream contrasting with the bright white of the clams. You eat with your eyes too, and this is exactly the case.
Preparing this recipe is very simple and requires few ingredients. For the zucchini cream, you just need to blanch the vegetables for a few minutes and then blend them with parsley, pine nuts, and oil. Equally simple is cooking the clams, which I will illustrate step by step. For the pasta shape, I opted for a short one: the cortecce, which I find very suitable for festive menus. But you can vary and choose whatever you prefer, even a long shape.
If you are looking for tasty and beautifully presented first courses, I also recommend these recipes:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 392.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.33 (g) of which sugars 0.91 (g)
- Proteins 19.23 (g)
- Fat 18.41 (g) of which saturated 2.43 (g)of which unsaturated 6.66 (g)
- Fibers 3.26 (g)
- Sodium 1,194.42 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 14 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Pasta with Clams and Zucchini Cream
- 1.76 lbs clams
- 5 zucchini
- 1.41 oz pine nuts
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- 12.7 oz pasta
Preparation of Pasta with Clams and Zucchini Cream
Wash and trim the zucchini. Cut the zucchini first in half lengthwise, then into chunks.
Blanch the zucchini in a pan with boiling salted water for 5 minutes.
Then, transfer the zucchini to a blender, with the parsley, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil.
Add two pinches of salt and blend until a thick cream, of a beautiful bright green color, is obtained. If necessary, add a little water.
Taste and check if you need to adjust the salt.
Place the clams in a pan, cover with a lid, and cook over high heat, until the clams have all opened.
Remove the clams from the heat and drain them, reserving the filtered cooking liquid. Remove them from their shells, except some to keep for garnishing the dish.
In a large skillet, brown the garlic clove with the olive oil. Add the clams and cook for a few minutes.
Pour in the glass of wine and let it evaporate. Then, add the clam liquid and stir carefully. Cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parsley.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente in plenty of salted water.
Drain the pasta and pour it into the pan with the clams, adding a little more chopped parsley. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. If necessary, you can add a ladleful of cooking water, to have a creamier sauce.
Turn off the heat and prepare the individual dishes. Spread the zucchini cream on the bottom of the plate and add the pasta with the clams, garnishing with the remaining chopped parsley and the clams with the shell.
Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve.
Tips
You can prepare the zucchini cream in advance, for example the day before, and store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
You can store leftover zucchini cream in the fridge, for 2-3 days.
How do you purge clams?
To properly purge clams, place them in a rectangular container with high edges filled with cold water, in which you add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of salt. Let the clams filter for at least 3-4 hours.
