Polpette al Sugo di Pomodoro

Is it a cliche to say Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my favorite comfort foods?? I love traveling with my husband and I absolutely love trying different foods from other countries I will admit however, when I come back from vacation from a different country other than what is in my blood I crave one of my cultures comfort foods; a beautiful plate of spaghetti with delicious tomato sauce that has small to medium sized meatballs cooking in it (oh yes with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano)! 30 minutes is all you need to make this delicious yet hearty dinner. For the meatballs , good plain bread crumbs and a very nice amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano makes them absolutely succulent! When I cook this I cook the meatballs first in olive oil and garlic until they get golden and the juices get flowing; then I add a nice can of San Marzano tomatoes and let it cook with all the juices. Comfort at anytime!  

Liguini with Clams!!!!

What can I say about Linguini with Clams??? LOVE IT!!!!!!  We do this for Christmas every year and of course anytime we are in the mood for it =) This dish must be carefully watched when cooking the clams. I use a generous amount of aromatic extra virgin olive oil, smashed garlic, some well picked clams, parsley and an ENTIRE bottle of delicious Pinot Grigio. The trick to cooking clams is that as soon as they open while cooking you must take it out so as to not over cook. Overcooked clams /seafood is by far a huge sin!!! I literally take a clam out one by one when they open hence the reason why it must be carefully watched. As this is definitely one of my favorites I certainly cannot compare it to the abundance of beautiful tiny clams the sea in Naples has. They are tiny yet so powerful and pungent that most of the time no salt is needed to make it because the ocean is in each of the shells! I have shown two linguini with clams one is with cherry tomatoes and the other without. Both are just as good just different ways to make it.