The Best of Fine Cooking — Real Italian 2017

90 real italian 2017

test kitchen

tip

Soak clams for

thorough cleaning

No one likes grit with their clams,

which is why it’s a good idea to

soak clams in salted water (to

mimic the sea) for a half hour

before using them in recipes like

Linguine with Clam Sauce (p. 50).

Since clams are filter feeders, they

will suck in the clean water and

eliminate any sand and debris.

After their soak, lift them out with

your hands instead of dumping

them into a colander. That way,

any sediment is left behind.

Don’t fear the

beard

Mussels have what’s called a

byssal thread, or beard. It’s a

group of fibers that grow from

between their shells and con-

nect them to rocks or ropes.

These beards are not edible,

and in the past, debearding

mussels made preparation

tedious. Fortunately, most

mussel farmers are now

debearding them before

sending them to market, but

if you see any brown threads

poking out from a mussel

shell when you’re prepping

them for the Shellfish with

Fennel, Escarole, and Kale

on p. 38, simply grasp them

between your thumb and

forefinger, and pull.

tEChniquE

two easy butter sauces

Simple butter sauces are perfect for recipes like the Ravioli on

p. 61 because they let the flavors of the fillings shine. But they’re

also great with any pasta.

lemon brown

butter

Letting the butter cook until

browned gives it a toasty flavor.

Try it on asparagus or fish as well

as ravioli. Serves 4

Heat 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

in a skillet or saucepan over medium-

high heat, whisking occasionally, until

the milk solids turn brown. Whisk in

2 tbs. fresh lemon juice and season

to taste with kosher salt.

RECipE

burro fuso

Burro fuso translates as “melted

butter,” and there’s not much

more to this recipe than that.

Serves 4

Melt 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

along with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water

or tap water in a skillet or saucepan

over medium-low heat. Whisk to

emulsify and season to taste with

kosher salt.