For a truly seductive, lighter pasta meal try Linguine alle vongole; an Italian dish made with fresh clams, parsley, garlic, white wine and butter. To start, serve up a simple salad like the radicchio salad with thinly sliced parmesean cheese slices.. Next serve up this great linguine dish with a bottle of chilled white wine and hot crusty bread and the night is yours.




Salad
1/4 cup extra olive oil
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Medium size head of radicchio lettuce
Fresh Parmesean cheese, long thin slices

Tear the radicchio in separate leaves. Place in a salad spinner filled with ice cold water--add some ice cubes if your water isn't ice cold. Let stand for a 5-10 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar.

Plate the Dish
Place the salad on each plate.  Using a cheese slicer to get very thin slices, carve long thin slices from the brick of cheese. Arrange slices over the lettuce. Drizzle with salad dressing, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Linguine alle Vongole
serves 4

4 Tbsp olive oil
1lb fresh minced clams
12 oz clam juice
2 dozen cockles
1 1/2 little neck clams
1 head of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 cup white wine
1/2 stick sweet butter
1 Tbsp finely chopped red jalapeno
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 box linguine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation
Simmer the onions and garlic in olive oil in a skillet over low heat (you do not want to brown them, only soften). When soft, add minced clams. Continue to cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add remaining liquid (wine and clam juice), turn heat up to medium, cooking until liquid just begins to boil, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

Cook pasta as per directions being sure to remove when al dente. Strain the pasta and place in a large bowl, add 1/2 stick of butter and toss. Salt and pepper to taste.

Steam cockles and little necks  clams until shells just open. Remove from heat, set aside

Plating the dish
Heat up the minced clam juice. Place linguine in large serving bowl. Arrange littlenecks and cockles over the pasta and add minced clam mixture over the pasta and make sure its hot. Sprinkle red jalapeno (to taste), salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with the minced parsley.. Serve with your favorite wine, and toss the pasta at the table for maximum effect.