Cavatelli with Cream of Beans & Clams
ala ~DKBB~
(original
recipe from www.cookingwithnonna.com)
The original recipe calls for fresh clams, but I don't live where that is much of an option, so I substituted canned clam pieces and it worked well.
1 lb. cavatelli
pasta
1 15.5 oz. can
Cannellini beans (do not drain)
2 cans clam pieces
(drain, but save liquid)
1 shallot, finely
diced
15 to 20 cherry
tomatoes
½ cup white
(cooking) wine
4 cloves garlic,
minced
1 Tbsp. fresh
rosemary (dried can be substituted, adjust amount)
Pepperoncino (hot
pepper flakes) to taste
Salt (to taste)
Extra virgin olive
oil (can use flavor infused if desired)
- Drain clams, saving liquid, and set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions to an al dente consistency.
- In a large pan, add some olive oil and sauté the shallot, garlic, and pepperoncino; once the shallots are soft and garlic is turning gold, add the rosemary and sauté for another minute; add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for 4-6 minutes; add white wine and simmer until alcohol is completely evaporated.
- Put the beans (including liquid) in blender and make a cream out of them; add a bit of clam liquid if the bean blend is too thick to easily pour out of blender.
- Add blended beans, all remaining clam liquid, and salt to taste to pan; simmer all at a medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the clam meat to the pan, cooking all for another 5ish minutes, then add in the drained cooked pasta, stirring well to mix all together, and let cook for another 3ish minutes.
- Serve with a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil of your choice.
