Easy, quick and healthy.

Clam Linguine

• Linguine pasta for 2 people
• 1 can Snow’s Minced Clams
• 2 tbs quality olive oil
• 3 tbs white onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup sliced brown mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp tarragon
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• shake of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper

Prepare the linguine in boiling, well-salted water until al dente.

Open the clams and discard the liquid.  Heat oil on medium high in a non-stick pan. Saute onion and mushrooms. When mushrooms are sweating (well-cooked), reduce heat to medium.  Add garlic, 1/2 of the wine, lemon juice and tarragon. When wine is almost gone, the mushrooms and onions will be infused with flavor. Add clams, rest of wine, and parsley. Stir in red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.  Add drained pasta to the pan, mix well and serve hot.

You can use fresh clams but the idea for this recipe is quick and easy–thus using canned.  I also purposefully omit clam juice unlike most recipes because I think it’s better just to use wine.  The clams are not the star in this version, all the flavors melted together makes this dish special. Btw, Snow’s didn’t sponsor this post, it just happens to be my favorite brand.

Pairing

It doesn’t have to be a Sauvignon Blanc: any unoaked or lightly French-oaked white wine with a hint of lemon will work.  If the wine has a lot of lemon or citrus, it overwhelms the dish.  The earthiness is more important (parsley, mushrooms, red pepper flakes). A well-balanced light-bodied earthy red is another option.

Serve with petite whole grain rolls and a Caesar salad.

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Welcome to Ceja (say ha) Wines.  What a lovely ambiance! They have two tasting rooms, in the Carneros appellation (which straddles Napa and Sonoma County) and downtown Napa.  The family is very hands-on. The matriarch, Amelia, cooks, entertains, talks about wine, pours wine…she does it all with an excitement and energy that belies the fact that she has been in the wine business for decades. Her husband, Pedro, and brother-in-law, Armando, head up vineyard management and winemaking.  Daughter, Dalia, and son, Ariel, both work in the family business.  Ariel is especially interested in video as you can see from their web site.

I’ve been to many family-operated wineries but this winery is distinct: I feel their Mexican-rooted hospitality; in fact, it’s a bit like being in a gracious, beautiful home in Mexico. I wanted to sit down for a meal with all of them, listen to stories, eat Amelia’s wonderful food and drink lots of wine.  (Casa Ceja members enjoy these perks.) You can find their wines at restaurants, fine wine shops and online.

Their wines are so well-structured that I enjoy them with and without food.  Their Sauvignon Blanc ($26) and Vino de Casa White ($20) are favorite summer wines at my house; when I offer a selection of whites for my guests, they are first to be emptied.  Amelia has lots of recipes online and I made my own cherry relish to pair with Ceja’s Vino de Casa Red.

TIP: Ceja is extremely well-respected in the professional wine industry.  Famed Critic, Robert Parker is a fan; he has requested their wine at events. The Ceja’s don’t submit their wines to him for rating: because he tastes 75 wines per day in his job, it’s not the best way to experience gentle, structured wines. The same goes for consumers, the more wine we taste in one day, the less we can appreciate what we’re tasting.

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This is an easy sauce that you can serve with any fish or shellfish.  The picture shows a breaded scallop (with egg, milk & Panko) but I would just pan fry the scallops in olive oil next time. I didn’t make enough sauce either; the recipe below will give you more sauce. Serves 2.

Cilantro Sauce

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 scallions
• 1 jalapeno (no seeds)
• 1-2 tbs olive oil

Finely chop the cilantro & scallions. Put in a bowl.  Add lime juice and finely chopped jalapeno.  Add olive oil to create the sauce texture you want–not too thick or thin. (You can use a food processor, but it is not necessary in my opinion.)  Mix and refrigerate while you make the rest of the meal.

Scallops & Angel Hair Pasta

• 7-10 large scallops
• angel hair pasta for 2
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup white onion
• EVOO
• salt & pepper

Put the pasta water on to boil.  Chop the white onion and place it in a small bowl of water (takes the edge off). Defrost the peas in the microwave.  After the water is boiling, add salt*, make it like the Mediterranean.

Remove Cilantro Sauce from fridge; bring to room temperature.  Drain the white onions. Microwave the peas in a small bowl.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Add scallops. Salt & pepper to taste. Gently cook them for 3-4 minutes depending on the size.  Remove from heat.

When the pasta is done, drain and add peas, onions and add a little EVOO for texture.

Place the scallops on the pasta, generously dollop the scallops with the Cilantro Sauce.

Pairing

I paired it with Cono Sur Sustainable Agriculture Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, Chile, 2008, ($13 or less)  Find it at places like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or specialty shops that carry organic wines.  If you can’t find this wine and want to try another Chilean SB, look for one from the Casablanca region which includes the San Antonio Valley.

Tips

• Stainless steal pots can be ruined by salt sitting in them.
• I recommend coated cast iron frying pans because they cook evenly.  Ikea seems to have the best deals.
• Scallops: undercooked is best, overcooking turns them to rubber.

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