ARF/5-A-Day #41

Poor Nicholas. It was a rough night. He has a very bad ear infection that came up rather suddenly last night. After nearly two hours of screaming bloody murder and tons of tears, we bundled him up and headed off to the ER. There was no way he was going to make it through the night, poor thing. After tons of reassurances that he would NOT be spending the night there like I did back in February, he agreed to go inside. We were in and out in less than 45 minutes, leaving with 3 medications and doses already given to him there. They added some Tylenol with Codeine to help him sleep, and sleep he did, finally waking up at 9:30 this morning. He’s feeling a bit better, but still in pain, so we spent the day at home together.

Between Nicholas‘ rough night, the chilly weather and the constant rain we’ve had all day, I was very indecisive about what to make for dinner tonight, changing my mind countless times. I finally just closed my eyes and picked a cookbook off my shelf, ending up with Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals. Looking to make something with ingredients I had on hand already, I went with her Linguine with Rach’s Cupboard Red Clam Sauce. On the table in under 20 minutes, it was hearty comfort food that hit the spot and perfect for tonight’s ARF/5-A-Day roundup. Nicholas asked what each ingredient was as I put it into the pan; when I got to the red wine, he started giggling. My kinda kid.

Before I leave you with tonight’s ARF/5-A-Day roundup, please think good thoughts for my Mom tomorrow. She’s having surgery for the first time ever, getting both knees replaced. She’s a little anxious, and understandably so.

Until tomorrow…

A year ago today… dinner, alcohol and Ellen.

Since I was on vacation last week, and didn’t do an ARF/5-A-Day roundup, tonight’s edition includes some delicious entries from last week as well. Dig in!

Faith from Blog Appetit in California has got her veggies going on with her Turkish Greens with Potatoes and Portobello Mushrooms from her cookbook collection:

Next up is the beloved okra from Salt and Pepper:

Transition to Vegan in Ohio served up the very healthy, cancer fighting Teryaki Seitan with Eggplant last week:

and eggplant popped up again this week with her Eggplant Bake:

Sugar Delirium joins us for the first time this week with her beautifully colorful Roasted Vegetables:

Paula from The Cookbook Junkie in Pennsylvania does it casserole-style with her Broccoli and Beef Pasta:

The Chocolate Lady in New York celebrates Fall with pumpkins:

Claire from Cooking is Medicine in Mississippi dishes up some drool-worthy pizza:

Perfect for Fall, and Stacey from Just Braise in New York shares her Braised Pork Chops with Apples:

Fall is also on the mind of Cooking Debauchery as she bakes up Pumpkin Muffins:

Catherine from Albion Cooks celebrates the season with a very ARF-friendly Vegetable Stew:

And last in for the night, Sarah from Cucina Bella in Connecticut packs tons of antioxidants in here with Black Beans with Salsa Cruda – yum!

Linguine with Rach’s Cupboard Red Clam Sauce
Four Servings

Coarse salt
1 pound linguine
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
One 2-ounce can flat anchovy fillets, drained
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
Two 14-ounce cans whole baby clams in juice, 1 can drained
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated lemon zest, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the EVOO (3 turns of the pan) and the anchovies and cook until the anchovies melt into the oil.

Add the crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the onion, raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the wine and cook 1 minute, then stir in the clams with their juice plus the drained clams. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute to concentrate the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste (be sure to taste the sauce before seasoning it; there’s so much salt in the anchovies and clams that you may not need to add any).

Drain the linguine, return it to the pot and add the sauce. Add half the parsley and toss. Adjust the salt and pepper and plate the pasta. Garnish it with the remaining parsley and a little lemon zest.