Pasta with Clam Sauce

I love pasta, but sometimes get tired of the traditional red spaghetti sauce.  This is a lighter dish, more geared for warmer weather. It looks fancy and yet is relatively easy to make.  You need:

1/4 c. butter/margarine

1 lg. clove garlic, minced

1 small onion finely chopped

2 tbsp. flour

2 (6 1/2 oz.) cans chopped clams

1/4 c. cream sherry

milk/soymilk

1/4 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. dried basil OR 6 fresh basil leaves finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. fresh pasta, cooked and drained (I used small bow ties)

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Saute onion till soft and transparent.  Remove onions leaving remaining butter/margarine.  Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes on low heat, this is called making a roux.  Drain clams, reserving juice. Combine reserved clam juice and sherry. Add enough milk/soymilk to make 2 cups liquid. Add to flour mixture gradually, and cook until sauce thickens slightly. Add parsley, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low heat about 10 minutes. Add clams and heat through. Serve over hot, well drained pasta. Serves 4.

Read Full Post »

Teriaki Glazed Salmon and Orzo Sauté

Teriaki Glazed Salmon is one of my family’s favorites. Many of my son’s friends have asked to watch me make salmon because they say it is better than a restaurant.  I love anything with teriaki sauce.  I used to make the sauce with fresh ginger and garlic, soy sauce and honey.  Then I discovered Yoshida’s original sauce which is almost as good and less expensive.  Works for me!

Salmon

You will need:

1 lb. fresh salmon

pepper, dill and lemon pepper

1 T. olive oil

2 T. dry white wine

2 T. Yoshida’s Original Gourmet Sauce

Sprinkle the salmon generously with pepper, dill and lemon pepper.  Heat olive oil in large fry pan on med heat.  Add salmon skin side down, if there is skin, and let it cook for a minute.  Turn salmon over and gently remove skin-it should come off fairly easily.  Add white wine to pan and reduce heat to med-low.  Cover and cook till the edges of the fish turn white. about five minutes.  Pour Yoshida’s sauce over salmon and turn heat up to medium, turn salmon over to get sauce on both sides.  Cook uncovered just until the salmon is firm.  Turn fish over and sear on med-high heat to glaze with the teriaki sauce.  The trick with salmon is to not overcook it or it will be dry.  Flake some off and cook just till the center loses its shine.

Orzo

Orzo is a rice shaped pasta that does not have to be pre-cooked for this recipe.  It is a great side dish with lots of flavor and color.  It is great leftover, too.

2 Cups dry Orzo

4 T. butter or margarine

4 T. olive oil

2 onions diced

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried thyme to taste

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

3 plum tomatoes diced ( or can use canned diced tomatoes)

1 can low salt chicken broth

fresh parsley (optional)

Saute onion  in a mixture of olive oil and butter/margarine, on medium heat, until starts to brown stirring frequently.  Add thyme and pepper and continue to saute. Add dry orzo and lightly brown it stirring constantly.   Add drained olives,  plum tomatoes, and chicken broth, then fill the chicken broth can with water and pour that in.  Add chopped parsley if want.  Stir scraping the bottom and cook covered on low heat for 11 minutes.

Garnish with parsley

Read Full Post »