Black Salsify White “Clam” Sauce
Linguine is a staple pasta. One of the best, but for some reason always synonymous with seafood and in particular clam sauces. Maybe that’s because it’s a little toothier than spaghetti and the flat shape coats in sauces that are generally not as heavy. Maybe it’s because it’s easy to make both fresh and dry. Or maybe it’s just that it’s fun to say with Italian hand gestures and stereotypical accents. Linguine is on my top ten list and climbing the power-rankings fast lately.
Salsify is one crazy veggie. Out of all the root vegetables, it easily looks the most root like. Like someone just hacked the underparts of a downed tree and dropped it onto a plate - root like. Which makes you wonder who was the first to decide to try eating it instead of playing fetch. And then as far as flavors go, this weirdo has to have imposter syndrome since it thinks it’s some sort of seafood. It’s salty, briny, and full of umami. So naturally it is the best ingredient to recreate a linguine with clam sauce without actually using any of our bivalved buddies. Give it a shot just for the sheer curiosity, and stay for the all the extra sauce you can sop up with some good crusty heel bread.
The Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 mins.
Cook time: 20 mins.
Difficulty: Easy
Special Equipment:
N/A
Notes:
N/A
Ingredients & Mise en Place
• 1 lb. linguine
• 1 lb. black salsify - peeled and cut into ¼” circles, large circles cut in half - soak in water with 1 tbsp. of lemon juice
• ½ cup dry vermouth
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 6 garlic cloves - sliced thin
• ¾ cup fresh italian parsley - roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Pecorino Romano
• Sea salt
Preparation
01.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
02.
In a deep sauté pan over medium heat melt unsalted butter. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and let it soften for about two minutes. Next, pour in the vermouth, white wine, and 2 tbsp. of lemon juice and add in salsify and salt liberally to taste. Let this reduce for about 15-20 minutes or until about one-third to half has evaporated.
03.
Add the pasta to the water and boil for about 7 minutes or until al dente.
04.
Once the pasta has cooked, strain and add to the sauce. Toss to coat, and slowly incorporate about 1/2 cup of olive oil and the fresh parsley. Divide into four portions and serve with grated Pecorino Romano.
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