Warming Cockles

Cockles are tender, sweet little morsels of the sea. When I saw them at a fish market, I was inspired to cook them for dinner. A little olive oil, some minced shallots, white wine and a handful of chopped parsley: Dinner is served.

This recipe calls for quite a bit of wine, but it cooks down quickly, leaving some in the bottle to serve with dinner. A loaf of bread comes in handy to soak up the extra juices from the sauce. For dessert, slice peaches, whip cream and layer into parfaits with a drizzle of Amaretto liqueur and a crumbling of Amaretto cookies.

Cockles in Wine Over Linguine

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

2 pounds cockles, well scrubbed

1 pound linguine

Salt

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

* Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add shallots and cook until softened and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 20 seconds. Add wine and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, add cockles, cover and simmer.

* Meanwhile, add linguine to boiling salted water.

* Check cockles after 1 to 2 minutes to see if any have opened; if so, remove them to covered plate. Cover skillet and continue cooking until all cockles have opened. Discard any that do not open. Return cockles to skillet.

* Cook pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes, drain quickly and place in serving bowl. Pour cockles and sauce from skillet on top, sprinkle with parsley, then serve.

4 servings. Each serving: 668 calories; 133 mg sodium; 29 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 91 grams carbohydrates; 26 grams protein; 0.48 gram fiber.

MENU

Cockles in Wine Over Linguine

Bread

Peach Parfaits

GAME PLAN

30 minutes before: Put water on for linguine. Prepare dessert.

20 minutes before: Scrub cockles. Cook shallots and garlic. Add wine, then cockles.

10 minutes before: Add pasta to water.

INGREDIENTS

Shopping List

Amaretto cookies

Bread

2 pounds cockles

1 pound linguine

1 bunch parsley

Peaches

Staples

Amaret Garlic

Olive oil

Shallots

Whipping cream

White wine

*

Place mat, napkin and flatware from Crate & Barrel Stores.