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with chopped parsley or basil if you like.
     

Pasta with Clams
and Tomatoes
    TIME: 30 to 40 minutes
    MAKES: 3 main-course to 6 first-course servings
    Every time I think I have come up with the ultimate pasta and clam dish, someone shows me a better one. This is a technique I learned in Liguria—the Italian Riviera—in which all of the clam liquid is used as part of the sauce, but without much effort. The result is delicious pasta in a rich, thick sauce—along with a pile of clams.
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
36 to 48 littleneck clams, well-washed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt
1 pound linguine or other long pasta
2 or 3 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley
Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a large, deep skillet, turn the heat to high, and heat for a minute. Add the clams, reduce the heat to medium-high, give the pan a shake, and cover. Continue to cook the clams, shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until most of the clams are open.
Salt the boiling pasta water and cook the pasta. When it is nearly tender, remove a cup of its cooking water and drain. When the clams are ready, add the pasta and the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, tossing frequently, until the pasta is tender and hot; add some of the pasta-cooking water if the mixture is too dry.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary; garnish with the parsley and serve.
WINE
Pinot Grigio, Orvieto, Vernaccia, or another crisp Italian white
SERVE WITH
60-Minute Bread or good store-bought bread; Simple Green Salad
    Keys To SUCCESS
    STOP COOKING THE PASTA while it is still quite stiff, but be sure to reserve a little of its cooking water before you drain it. It will finish cooking in the clam juices, along with a little of the reserved water.
    USE THE SMALLEST CLAMS you can find; cockles are fine, too. Figure eight to twelve littlenecks or twenty-four cockles per person. Wash and scrub the clamshells very well, as they will cook in the sauce and any unre-moved sand will find its way into your mouth. Discard any open or cracked clams before cooking; those that remain shut after cooking may be opened with a knife.
    With MINIMAL Effort
    White Pasta with Clams: Substitute about 1 cup dry white wine for the tomatoes, adding it to the clams about 1 minute before the pasta.
     

Stir-Fried
Coconut Noodles
    TIME: 45 minutes
    MAKES: 4 servings
    Rice noodles have no equivalent in European cooking. Made from rice powder and almost always sold dried, they are nearly as fast-cooking as fresh wheat noodles. Regardless of their name (rice stick, rice vermicelli, oriental-style noodle, and so on), rice noodles are easily recognized by their gray-white, translucent appearance, and by the fact that because of their somewhat irregular shapes they are never packed in as orderly a fashion as wheat noodles. (They are quite long and are packaged folded up over themselves.) Two thicknesses are common: very thin and fettuccinelike; here you want the latter.
¾ pound fettucine-style rice noodles
3 tablespoons grapeseed, corn, or other light oil
1 pound minced or ground boneless pork or chicken
1 yellow or red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 eggplant (about ½ pound), cut into ½-inch cubes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
One 12- to 14-ounce can (about 1½ cups) unsweetened coconut milk
Nam pla (fish sauce), soy sauce, or salt
Freshly ground black pepper Minced cilantro
Soak the noodles in very hot water to cover until you’re ready to add them to the stir-fry.
Meanwhile, pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large skillet or wok, turn the heat to high, and heat for a minute. Add the meat and cook, stirring occasionally until it browns and loses its raw look, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, followed by the bell pepper and