Hand-Rolled Pasta with Clams & SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
In true Nancy Meyers fashion, Something’s Gotta Give (2003) makes me want to move to a Hampton’s house with a large stunning kitchen, eat fresh market vegetables, and make pancakes at midnight. Meyers is known for making movies with gorgeous homes and kitchens, and Something’s Gotta Give is no exception.
In this movie, an older bachelor (Jack Nicholson as Harry) falls for the accomplished mother (Diane Keaton as Erica) of his young girlfriend (Amanda Peet as Marin). This movie is a hilarious take on aging, love, relationships, and success.
Comedic and entertaining from the very first scene, Something’s Gotta Give is also filled with incredible food scenes. From a midnight gathering making pancakes in pajamas to a charming Paris bistro to a local market filled with fresh vegetables, cheeses, fruit, and bread, there’s no shortage of delicious food throughout the film. What stands out most to me is the group dinner scene with Harry, Erica, Marin, and Erica’s sister, Zoe. The humorous scene opens on homemade clam linguine and green salad, with an abundance of bottles of wine. A perfectly delicious dish for a perfectly awkward evening.
Inspired by the clam linguine, I opted for a fresh hand-rolled pasta that is shorter in length. Instead of steaming the clams open with white wine like I usually do, I wanted to go for an edgier taste by using IPA beer. Add sweet Italian sausage, asparagus tips, and Parmesan cheese for a truly memorable dish. Unbelievably hearty, fresh, and nicely balanced with crunchy and soft textures. Even with the handmade pasta, this meal is not challenging or time-consuming. Hand-Rolled Pasta with clams, beer, sweet Italian sausage, and asparagus is all you need for a warm summer evening. When you’ve got food like this, who needs the Hamptons?
Hand-Rolled Pasta with Clams, Beer, Sweet Italian Sausage, and Asparagus
Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Hand-rolled pasta
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup semolina flour
½ teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup water
Method
Hand-rolled pasta
Combine the flour, semolina flour, olive oil, and water in a bowl. Mix together with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead the dough with your hands on a lightly floured surface until all of the flour has been incorporated and the dough is smooth and stiff.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic (so a skin doesn’t form) and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
After one hour, cut the dough in half and work with one half at a time to keep the remaining dough fresh. Keep the other half covered in plastic.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough halves into small pieces and using your hands, roll the dough into thin 3-4 inch pieces. The ends will taper. Continue until all of the dough has been rolled into pieces.
Place the rolled pasta onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle semolina flour over it (to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other). Cover with a damp towel until ready to cook.
Clam Dish
In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Get a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta.
Add the Sweet Italian Sausage pieces and brown in the olive oil.
When the sausage is cooked, add garlic. Cook until garlic is golden, about one minute.
Add the water, beer, and clams. Cover the skillet so the clams can be steamed open.
When the clams are cooked (about 5-6 minutes), remove them from the skillet. Discard any clams that do not open!
While the clams are steaming, sear the asparagus tips in a small pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until warm and have a bit of color – you still want the asparagus to have a nice crunch.
Remove the sausage and gently pour the liquid into a bowl. As you reach the last bit of liquid, look for sand from the clams. Dump this small amount of liquid and sand out. Place the reserved liquid and sausage back into the skillet and warm over low heat.
Place pasta in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Strain and place in the Clam Dish.
Add the seared asparagus to the Clam Dish. Serve the Clam Dish in bowls, and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
© A Dash of Cinema
Did you Eat & Watch?
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P.S. Not craving clams? Go for smoked salmon instead!
Food Images by Lauren Jessen, Film Image from Columbia Pictures Corporation/Something’s Gotta Give