Throughout his journeys taking photographs in the South, Brad Ogbonna picked up recipes like this spicy sausage and clam pasta dish.
Brad Ogbonna is a photographer’s photographer. Twin Cities-raised and New York-based with a deep connection to his Nigerian ancestry, the documentarian and portraitist seems to have done it all––captured icons like Zendaya and Barack Obama, and spent years depicting the cultural and visual landscapes of the Caribbean and West Africa. Another thing Ogbonna has done––pick up a pasta recipe on his travels through South Carolina—a unique clam and sausage pasta recipe that he made his own. “It's been a hit amongst friends who have tried it. It’s spicy and savory and very fresh,” says Ogbonna.
Ingredients:
- 20 littleneck clams
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 whole shallots, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium red chile, such as red jalapeno or red Fresno, finely sliced
- ½ pound spicy chicken or merguez (lamb) sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound linguine or bucatini
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Pecorino Romano, grated for serving
Instructions:
- Soak the clams in cold water while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to a boil. Add the linguine (or bucatini) and cook according to package directions until just shy of al dente. The pasta should still be firm to the bite since it will cook another minute or two in the sauce.
- Reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain the linguine in a colander: do not rinse.
- Prep all of the ingredients for the sauce and remove the skin from the sausage. Warm the oil in a wide pan and add the shallots. Then add clams in a layer. Cover and allow to steam.
- In a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until just golden, about 30 seconds.
- Add the wine, red pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 cup of the parsley.
- Once it has softened slightly, add the garlic then the sausage. Break the sausage up as it cooks. Once the sausage has gently browned, deglaze the pan with the wine.
- Toss in the clams, then bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan with the clams.
- Increase the heat to medium and cook the linguine with the clams, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. If necessary, add some of the reserved cooking water to keep moist.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, lemon zest and/or lemon juice, if necessary. Transfer the linguini with clams to a serving dish or bowls and serve.