Pasta with clams and peppers

Pasta with Willapa Bay Clams and Sweet Peppers Ingredients: Pasta Clams Peppers Garlic Spinach Butter (For best results, read recipe fully before beginning.)

1) Prepare the ingredients: - Wash and dry the fresh produce.

- Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water, then drain. Discard any clams that remain open.

- Remove and discard the stem and seeds from the peppers. Thinly slice peppers.

- With the side of your knife, smash the garlic clove. Remove and discard papery skin.

- Cut away and discard any large, tough stems from the spinach. (It may be easier to remove the large stems first, then wash the leaves by submerging them in several changes of cold water and lifting out. It’s ok if they are still a bit wet after.)

2) Cook the pasta: - Heat a medium pot of generously salted water to the boil on high. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7.5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Add to sauce (see below).

3) Make the sauce: - While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high until hot.

Add sliced peppers and smashed garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened somewhat, about 5 minutes. Add clams, cover, and cook until the clams open, about 2 minutes.

4) Finish the dish: - To the peppers and clams, add spinach, cooked pasta, and reserved pasta water and simmer until sauce reduces and loosely coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Discard any clams that will not open. Add butter and a glug of olive oil. Stir to combine.

- Divide pasta between 2 bowls. Enjoy!