Simple Cooking - Angel Hair Pasta with Clams, Chorizo and Saffron

By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 19, 2009 4:25PM

This pasta is amazing. Absolutely amazing. It’s not our recipe, so we can say that without sounding like a self-promoter. It’s from Wine Bar Food, by Tony and Cathy Mantuano (of Spiaggia) and it’s filled with some unlikely combinations (Anthony's visited recipes from Wine Bar Food for a "Simple Cooking" post before; please check out his take on the Mantuano's faux gras — Sudo.). Oranges? Raw tomatoes? Clams?

Trust us. We made a huge order of this pasta, hoping for leftovers, but our roommate was so enamored with the recipe that the next time we looked, it was all gone! The most amazing part is how easy and fast it is - 45 minutes to make, tops.

Angel Hair with Clams, Chorizo and Saffron
Adapted from Wine Bar Food

3 tbsp olive oil
8 oz. chorizo, removed from casings
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb clams, scrubbed
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup orange juice
1 bay leaf
A pinch of saffron
1 pound Angel Hair pasta
3 oranges, cut into sections with all white removed
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Cook the chorizo in oil until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the chopped garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the clams, broth, orange juice, bay leaf and saffron. Cook for 8 minutes or until the clams all open up.

Put the pasta in the water, and cook for 2 minutes LESS than the instructions on the box. Drain, and put into the pot with the clams and sausage. Turn down the heat to low and toss for 1 minute. Add the oranges and tomatoes, toss and cook for another minute. Turn off the stove. Discard the bay leaf and any unopened clams. Serve, topped with chopped cilantro if you wish.