I love saffron and especially this time of the year. In the Scandinavian cuisine, saffron is mainly used as a Christmas spice. This dish is so easy and quick to prepare. I found some fresh Littleneck clams at my local fish market and decided to make a pasta with saffron and the clams. If you don’t like clams, replace them with shrimps or why not just make a vegetarian pasta with edamame beans or sun-dried tomatoes instead of the seafood.
Ingredients (4 pers.):
- 1 lb (or one net) with Littleneck clams
- 8 oz pasta (spagetti)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- 0.02 oz Spanish saffron
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cream (or half milk half cream)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- pinch of salt and fresh black pepper
Make sure your clams are well washed before you buy them. Otherwise, let water drain through your clams until the water looks clear and clean after going through the claims. The clams should all be closed (otherwise through them out).
Prepare the spaghetti. Boil according to the packaging in salty water.
Peel and chop the garlic and onion. Sauté in a thick bottom saucepan in butter until the onion is getting transparent in the color. Use a pestle for the saffron. Add the tomatoes and the saffron. Add the clean claims into the saucepan and put a lid on the saucepan. Let it boil for a couple of minutes until the clams are all open.
Add the lemon juice, cream, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Get the ready spaghetti into the saucepan and mix carefully everything together before serving. Top your dish with more freshly chopped parsley.
Smaklig måltid!
Scandinavian Simple Eating 