Linguine with fennel sofrito, peas, cajun spiced clams, and lemon pepper pangrattato! This recipe was created by chef Samantha Medeiros of La Palma Restaurant, Toronto, ON.
Small dice all the fennel, celery, and onion and mince 6 cloves of garlic. Add to a small pot, and add enough vegetable oil to just cover.
Bring up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook on low heat until everything is cooked and translucent (no colour). Set aside.
Linguini
Add 500g 00 pasta flour to a bowl and make a well. To the centre of the well, add in 2 whole eggs, 8 pieces of egg yolks, a splash of milk, and olive oil. Slowly incorporate the flour to the centre of the well and mix well until you have a smooth dough, wrap and set aside for 1 hour to rest.
Roll out dough into thin sheets, and either cut by hand into 1/4 inch pieces or feed through a linguini cutter attachment. Divide into 4 equal portions. Set aside
Lemon Pepper Pangrattato
In a pan, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, heat on medium-high until butter is frothing. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and sweat, then add 2 sprigs of picked fresh thyme. Add in breadcrumbs and toast slightly, then season with lemon pepper seasoning.
Assembly
In a large pan, add 2 heaping tablespoons of the fennel sofrito, and a pinch of chili flakes. Add in the pasta clams, 1 Tbsp of cajun spice and deglaze with a splash of white wine and Pernod, cover with a lid to allow the clams to steam (approx 5 mins). start cooking your pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
Remove the lid from the pan, and if clams are cooked, add a squeeze of lemon juice, a few tablespoons of butter, a splash of pasta water, and a handful of peas.
CHEF's TIP!
You can prepare the sofrito and breadcrumbs ahead of time for ease of assembly. Linguini noodles can be made a day in advance as well.
