The Family Table: When the 10-year-old cooks dinner
A couple of weeks ago, 10-year-old Josie told me she’d take care of making our Monday dinner.
Her offer was welcome, as it had been a busy weekend, and I didn’t get much prep work done. I asked what she intended to make. Linguini with clam sauce, she said. When I asked for the recipe so I could see what I might need to grab from the store, she told me she doesn’t really use one.
While some of you might cast a skeptical eye on letting the fifth grader make dinner, sans recipe, I knew better.
Josie thrives in the kitchen. She’s a way better baker than I could ever hope to be (she made two of the desserts for our Christmas dinner), and she’s got a great, natural sense of what savory flavors go together.
Putting my faith in her, I gathered up the requested items and got out of her way. While she made the sauce, I boiled and drained the pasta, reserving some cooking water at her direction.
Then I disappeared and waited to hear the proverbial dinner bell ring.
None of us were disappointed.
Her sauce was super yummy. There was exactly one serving of the two pounds left when we all finished with dinner.
The sauce was so good that I asked her to whip it up again on Christmas Eve so that we could all enjoy it once more. She, of course, obliged.
At my request, she sat down to type out her recipe. I told her I wanted to share it on our food page. We both hoped it might inspire some other kiddos out there to get into the kitchen and make a family meal.
You’ll notice the measurements in her recipe aren’t super precise. She’s the first one to tell you she cooks by taste, sampling and adding a bit of this or that. She told me that’s the best way to cook, because you can adjust to have something taste just how you’d like.
I added a couple of parenthetical approximations so you know how much you’ll need if you want to give her linguini a whirl. Otherwise, the recipe and directions that appear below are hers.
Happy cooking!
Josie’s Linguini and Clam Sauce Recipe
(Total time: 15-25 minutes)
Ingredients
2, 1 lb boxes of linguini
6, 6.5 oz cans of clams, drained and juice reserved
Parmesan cheese (most of a 3 oz jar)
Fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or butter
Lots of garlic, minced (we used 6-7 cloves, but it can be less or more as you like)
A few handfuls of fresh spinach (optional)
Directions:
1: Put a pot of water on the stove to boil.
2: Open the containers with clams and drain them. Do this by taking the unattached lids and leaving a small space for the liquid to come out. Then, tip the container and let the liquid pour into a bowl or a measurer that it can easily be poured form. Repeat the step with the rest of the cans.
3: Using a larger saut茅 pan, put olive oil and garlic in and turn the heat to medium stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn the garlic. After about 1 minute, add all of the clams (NOT the juice). Let the clams sit for approximately 2 minutes before adding the clam juice, leaving a small bit left.
4: Once the pot of water has come to a rolling boil, put both boxes of linguini pasta in and allow to cook until tender. Save about 1 cup of the pasta water. Next, stir your clam sauce. Then, taking your parsley and parmesan cheese, add your desired amount of parsley. For your parmesan cheese, stir in generous amounts. Turn the heat for the sauce down to medium, medium-low, so it thickens.
5: If your sauce isn’t thickening, add another spoonful of cheese. Once your sauce has come to your desired thickness, add the saved cup of pasta water to your drained pasta and stir it in so the noodles don’t stick together as much. After stirring in the pasta water, add all of the pasta to your sauce and stir. Stir until everything is combined.
6: (optional) If you want to add a healthier touch, add spinach and put a lid on the pan. Let the spinach wilt a bit and then incorporate it in the pasta by stirring it in.
7: Enjoy!!!