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Clams and Pasta Sofrito

Seafood Suggestion: mussels

Inspired by Caribbean sofrito, the Islander's answer to salsa, this light, spicy pasta is loaded with colorful bits of yellow, red and jalapeño peppers plus lots of cilantro. If you like things extra hot, fire it up with additional jalapeño!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds live hardshell clams
• 12 ounces dry gnocchi, small shell or wagon wheel pasta
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric or annatto powder
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separate
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3-4 ripe Roma (plum) tomatoes, cored and diced

Cooking Instructions:

Rinse the clams in cold water; discard any that do not close tightly when tapped. Scrub the shells with a vegetable brush or cloth; set aside. (If using mussels, pull away the beards.)

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pan. Stir in the pasta with 1 teaspoon salt, if desired. Boil uncovered until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well and pour the pasta into a large serving bowl. (If the pasta is cooked before the clams are ready, cover the bowl to keep warm.)

In a large pan combine the red and yellow bell peppers, jalapeño, oil, garlic, oregano and turmeric. Add the white part of the green onions to pepper mixture. In another bowl combine the green onion tops and cilantro; set aside.

Stir the pepper mixture over high heat until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and clams, cover and cook until the clams begin to open, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer open clams to a large bowl and cover to keep warm; discard any clams that do not open. When all clams have been removed, add the tomatoes to the pan and boil, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the green onion tops and cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the vegetables over the pasta, toss to mix and divide among individual plates. Arrange the clams on top and spoon any accumulated clam liquid over.

Servings per recipe: 6

Nutrition Facts:

Cal. 308 / Total fat 6g / Sat. 1g / Chol. 13mg / Sdm. 31mg / Carbo. 47g / Prot. 13g / Om-3 .1g