Hi there. It’s me, Joanne. This is an updated post from September 2009, which was only our third month sharing recipes with you. A lot has changed since then. Here’s the little blurb we wrote way back then. If you’re only interested in the recipe, scroll down to the recipe below. From 2009: We are only into our second month here at Inspired Taste and I must say Adam and I are pretty excited with our progress. It may not seem like too much, but yesterday we had a record breaking 64 unique visitors look at our site. When we compare that with last month it has more than tripled. We have also started to receive comments on various posts, which is quite possibly the coolest thing ever! I knew we would be excited, but once we started hearing from people out there who liked something we did, it truly was an awesome feeling. Sometimes I sit at my computer wondering if anyone will actually care about what I am saying, am I actually that interesting? … like right now, is someone really wanting to read about how many unique visitors we had yesterday? It is incredibly humbling to know that people do take the time to view our work and possibly even try our recipes and then take the additional time to write to us either through email or by commenting on our site.
How to Make the Best Spicy Pasta with Shrimp and Clams
This spicy pasta recipe comes from a coworker who was kind enough to let us in on one of his favorite recipes. The sauce comes together pretty quickly and is packed with flavor thanks to cooked onions, dry vermouth, red pepper flakes, fresh parsley and lemon juice. This sauce is perfect with shrimp and clams, but you can also skip the shellfish and simply toss the sauce with pasta. The shrimp are peeled then deveined and roasted in the oven while the sauce comes together and then added at the very end. The clams are washed and put into the sauce a few minutes before serving so they have a chance to open. Salt and fresh ground black pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking shrimp 1 tablespoon butter 1 medium onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup dry vermouth or substitute dry white wine 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 lemon, cut into wedges 1 1/4 pounds littleneck clams (about 15 clams), scrubbed 1 pound cleaned large shrimp 2Add the olive oil and butter to a wide skillet (with lid) over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. 3Pour in the vermouth and use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Bring to a low simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 8 minutes. While cooking, use a wooden spoon to break the whole tomatoes apart into bite-size chunks. 4Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is tender but not mushy. Drain, but reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water. 5While the pasta is cooking, cook the shrimp. Toss shrimp with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add to a baking dish and roast the shrimp for 5 to 10 minutes until pink, firm, and cooked through. 6When the sauce is done, add the clams and cover with a lid. Allow them to steam for 4 to 5 minutes. After 4 to 5 minutes, the clams should have opened, if one or two have not, remove from the pan and discard. 7Add the shrimp, cooked pasta, and about 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Toss well then cook one more minute until the sauce coats the pasta. Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
