skyy38

Great simple recipe on which to build other great flavors! Next time I add fennel and red pepper flakes, to give it a smoky charge! For those of you who use thighs with skins, get your spice mixture UNDER the skin so that it actually flavors the MEAT, and not just the skin!

A very good start! However, given my recent "discovery", I believe I can push THIS closer to an almost perfect "10"

I used this recipe as my basic model for my FIRST try *ever* at Linguine With Clam Sauce. I am a big white sauce fan and I'm gratified to see it used here. As usual, I found a way to add my own "spin" on the recipe BUT, for once, I did NOT use one of my FAVORITE ingredients, Pork Jowl Bacon, because I wanted to make this recipe honestly, to see if I COULD get along WITHOUT the bacon-and I did! I am not afraid of REAL *anything* be it butter, milk, cream etc. If you want full on flavor, full on ingredients are a *must*. But, too, I think I may have discovered an indispensable herb, which is not known for being used in clam sauce. I'm not giving it up here but I did use Dill Weed ( I've always associated Dill Weed with seafood) in my recipe for clam sauce in conjunction with my "mystery herb" and this combination may well be responsible for NOT having to use ANY parmesan cheese as a "helper" at all! When I finished my sauce and had myself a plate, I was surprised that I had not even MISSED the parmesan! I mean, I use parmesan on EVERYTHING Italian- but , because of that mystery herb, I believe I found a "richer way"! Thanks for the great "base recipe"!