This is my ultimate summer dinner. It’s light and refreshing and cooks in no time at all. But best of all - it has clams! I adore clams. If you don’t have easy access to a beach full of them (we don’t - our beach does not have great clams) you can order them online. I buy from Hama Hama regularly.

Let me know what you think of it! And share your photos - tag me so I can see @ali.hedin. I can’t wait to see what you make.

Spaghetti with clams

Serves 4

1 pound spaghetti noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 large shallots, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

2 pounds manila clams

1 lemon, zested and juiced

½ cup chopped parsley

STEP 1

Cook spaghetti noodles in a large pot and save 1 cup of pasta water after draining.

STEP 2

In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat.  Cook shallots and red pepper flakes until tender. 

STEP 3

Pour in wine, lemon zest & juice. Season with salt and pepper, and add clams.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and leave alone for 5 minutes or until most of the clams have opened.  Stir gently.  Any clams that haven’t opened should be discarded. 

STEP 4

Add cooked spaghetti to the clams and toss.  Pour in reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time – you may not need all of the pasta water.  When the pasta does not seem dry, stop adding water.  Serve hot with chopped parsley.

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This time of year we are racing from one baseball game to another meeting to something else and next thing you know, you’re scrambling for dinner at 9pm and everyone eats cereal. This sandwich is a fab solution. All you need is about 30 minutes BEFORE everything starts. Then wrap it up and take it with you to the baseball game. You’ll look like a rock star. You’ll be fed and happy. And - most importantly - you won’t have to have cereal again tonight.

Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions

Serves 4

2 lbs flank steak

2 red onions, sliced

2 tbs red wine vinegar

2 cups spinach

16 oz ricotta cheese

¼ cup parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh thyme, chopped

2 tbs chives, chopped

2 tbs olive oil

¼ cup butter

5 cloves garlic

1 loaf crusty bread

STEP 1

Preheat broiler to 500 degrees.  Cut bread in half and toast in the oven, quickly, until golden brown.  Rub each side of the toasted bread with a clove of garlic.  Set aside.

STEP 2

Grate the remaining cloves of garlic onto the top of the steak and rub over the top evenly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place steak in the oven and cook 5 minutes.  Flip steak over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes.

STEP 3

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and slowly cook onions with red wine vinegar until tender and lightly browned. 

STEP 4

In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, herbs, and olive oil.  Spread over each side of the bread.

STEP 5

Pile spinach on top of one side of the bread.  Slice steak and lay on top of spinach.  Add the onions to the top and cover with the other side of the bread loaf. 

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Another drink that came from a marketing scheme? A Paloma is just such a drink - so it seems. When Squirt was invented in Texas in 1938 bartenders in Mexico created a classic that’s pretty great. Some bartenders call it Mexico’s answer to the G&T, it’s refreshingly delicious and simple as can be. Origianlly the drink is squirt, tequila and lime. But I find it classed up with grapefruit juice makes it more prime time. Equal parts and topped with soda. Make it in a pitcher and you’re ready to go-a!

Paloma

2 ounces repesado tequila

2 ounces grapefruit juice

grapefruit soda

lime wedge & grapefruit slice

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Deviled eggs, deviled eggs, every one loves deviled eggs. There are a million ways to make them, and none of them are wrong - but sometimes people add ingredients that just don’t belong. The secret is in boiling the eggs just so - cold water over eggs and bring to a boil real slow. Then turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water and ice until it’s cooled off enough you can peel the eggs well. Rinse them in cold water to remove left over shell. Smash together with equal parts yolk and mayonaisse - a dash of pickle juice makes them amaze. Pipe it back into the white and top with paprika. It’s a traditional deviled egg that’s hard to beat - a.

Simple Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hardboiled

1/4 cup mayonaisse

1 tbs pickle juice

salt & pepper

paprika

STEP 1

Pop eggs into a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat. Let rest 10 minutes.

STEP 2

Drain boiling water and cover eggs with ice and very cold water. Peel the eggs.

STEP 3

Slice the eggs in half and pop out the yolk. Save the white on a plate - and clean them up so they don’t have tiny bits of yolk on them.

STEP 4

Mash together egg yolks, mayonaisse, and pickle juice. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 5

Pipe the yolk mixture back into the whites and sprinkle the tops with paprika.

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Legend holds that in the 1950’s, the marketing heads at Ocean Spray got shifty and introduced a drink. It’s a delicious way to sell and hoodwink. Originally they called the drink the Red Devil - but I think we can all agree that doesn’t sound very high level. In 1965 they renamed it in an ad - a Cape Codder sounds delightfully preppy and not at all sad.

Isn’t it fun to think some of these old staples came from a bunch of old guys sitting around marketing tables? It’s all very Mad Men-esque that such a cocktail classic was invented at a desk.

This is basically a vodka cran - ok it is exactly that. So I added a lime simple syrup to make it less flat. A simple syrup is sugar, water and lime. It actually is great to dress up a cocktail any time. Shake the ingredients so they mix up well, pour over ice and sip a drink that’s really quite swell.

Cape Codder

makes one drink

2 ounces cranberry juice (use Ocean Spray if you’re feeling nostalgic)

1 ounce vodka

1/2 ounce lime simple syrup

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a glass and serve with a wedge of lime.

LIME SIMPLE SYRUP

1/2 cup sugar

juice of one lime (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon lime zest

Bring all ingredients to a simmer and whisk until the sugar is melted. Let cool before using.

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Tots are the absolute, hands down best. This St. Patrick’s Day I put them to the test. First cook the tots until they’re super crispy, pulling them early is super risky. Once they come out toasty and hot, top them quick and top them a lot - with pastrami, sauerkraut, and swiss. Then back on broil until they are *chef’s kiss.* While still warm, drizzle 1000 island on top. Eat with a fork until they’re gone - you can’t stop!

Reuben Tots

1 lb tater tots

1/4 lb sliced pastrami

4 slices swiss cheese

1/2 cup sauerkraut

1000 Island Dressing

STEP 1

Toast the tots until they are extra crispy. I cook them on 450 for at least 40 minutes. But don’t burn them!

STEP 2

Turn the oven onto broil and let it warm up. Pile the hot tots into the center of the pan and top with meat, cheese and sauerkraut. Pop in the broiler and watch it closely! Pull them out then the cheese is bubbly.

STEP 3

Top with 1000 Island Dressing and eat immediately! Chances are you’ll need a fork.

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How about a splash of history for this Friday? The Kir Royale has it is spades. Created in France by a priest named Kir when Nazi’s took red wine to quash French cheer. Resistance persisted and we now have a drink that’s event better than wine and delightfully pink. A dash of cassis & topped with champs, it’s a delicious FU to Nazi camps.

KIR Royale

1/3 ounce Cassis

3 ounces champagne

Pour cassis into a champagne glass and top with chilled champagne. Optionally garnish with a raspberry. Cin cin!

This drink is steeped in controversy, mostly because my friend and I have a different story of the nature of this popular drink - if it’s made with cognac or gin, like I think. At the Savoy the recipe calls for gin, in Paris it’s cognac - but both are a win!

In a shaker stir together lemon and sugar - add gin and ice & shake with vigor. Strain into a glass and top with champagne. This Valentine’s Day will be anything but plain!

Here’s a snapshot of the history

1867 Charles Dickens visits Boston and drinks “Champagne Cups with Tom Gin” (a Champagne Cup is champagne, sugar and lemon over ice)

1915 Harry’s New York Bar in Paris claims to create the drink and names it for the French 75mm field gun because of the kick.

1918 Arnaud’s in New Orleans opens and features the French 75 - made with cognac - on it’s cocktail menu

1927 The French 75 appears in print in a New York humor magazine made with gin.

1930 the Savoy publishes a recipe made with gin

1932 “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks” insists the drink be made with cognac

French 75

3/4 ounce lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

2 ounces gin (or VSOP Cognac)

2 ounces champagne

In a cocktail shaker, stir together lemon juice and sugar. Fill the shaker with ice and pour in the gin. Shake well. Strain into a champagne glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

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Will your family only eat trees and not broccoli butts? I’ve turned them into a soup that’s good for your guts. Cooked down with onion, garlic and broth - then blended with spinach to a smooth froth. I top mine with pepper and parmesan cheese. It’s super good for you and done in a breeze.

Green Detox Soup

Serves 4

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 cups broccoli butts, chopped

2 cups broth

3 cups spinach

salt to taste

In a large stock pot, cook together garlic, onion and broccoli butts until slightly browned. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook 3-5 minutes until the broccoli butts are just tender. Season with salt. Pour into the blender and blend together with spinach. Eat immediately topped with fresh ground pepper.

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For Lunar New Year I’m pouring a drink that’s filled with history and delightfully pink! In public in Singapore in 1915, women could only drink fruit juice and tea. So a clever man names Ngiam Tong Boon created this drink that’s over the moon. Filled with cherry liquor and gin, it looks like fruit juice which made it a win. Ladies in Singapore could drink at the bar. Now it’s beloved near and far.

Singapore Sling

Makes 2 drinks

1 1/2 ounces gin

1 ounce benedictine

1/2 ounce cherry liquer

1 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce grenadine

dash of bitters

2 ounces pineapple juice

4 ounces soda water

Stir together gin, benedictine, cherry liquor, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine and bitters. Pour into glasses filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a lime and a cherry.

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