Mario Batali was one of the food world’s most acclaimed Chefs…sadly, in 2017 revelations regarding his behavior resulted in him backing away from most of his businesses…in 2022 most of the claims were settled, but his career has never been the same.
Of course, any behavior like that which was alleged against him is abhorrent and reprehensible…and his story will hopefully remind others in any business that behavior like this is not tolerated…
That said, he was a very talented Chef, and since I have several of his cookbooks I have sensed his love of Italian food, like in this recipe….
Linguine with Clams
This dish may look simple, but the key is to bring flavors to the fore and find a delicious balance between seafood and pasta…here are your ingredients:
olive oil
small pinch chopped garlic
small pinch red chili flakes
medium pinch finely chopped onion
medium pinch pancetta
“slap of butter” (a couple tablespoons)
“splash of white wine” (1/4, perhaps)
4 ounces pasta
1 big handfuls clams (cockles, the little ones, are preferred)
…begin by roasting small pinches of garlic and chili flakes and medium pinches of onion and pancetta in a hot pan with olive oil. Hot oil accelerates the cooking process, and the moment everything gets soft you pour it away (holding back the contents with your tongs) and add a slap of butter and a splash of white wine, which stops the cooking. This is stage one.
Next, drop the pasta in boiling water and take your pan and fill it with clams andon the highest possible flame.
You want to cook them fast– they’ll start opening after three or four minutes, when you give the pan a swirl.
After about six minutes, use tongs to pull noodles out of the water and drop them into your pan – then swirl the pan to ensure the pasta is covered by the sauce. If it looks dry, add another splash of pasta water; if too wet, pour some out.
Cook for another half minute, then splash the dish with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley….time to serve!
I was torn about sharing a recipe from Chef Batali – his personal issues don’t take away from his love of food and inventive preparations…let me know your thoughts on this.
I love making unique pasta dishes…like this one!
This incredible “Oyster Pasta with Caviar” is from another famous Chef, Emeril Lagasse – check it out here:
And if you want a break from pasta, why not just use noodles?
I love this dish – click here for step-by-step instructions to make it yourself!
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Categories: 52 In 22!, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Recipes, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Delicious!!!
It is so sad to see what has happened to Mario. I agree. You can’t deny his talent. I still have his cookbooks and make many of his recipes. The world needs to remember that you need to separate the sinner from the sin.
I appreciate the comment. I was torn about sharing the recipe because of what happened – and it is tough sometimes to separate the person and the craft, but in this case I felt that by addressing it I could also share a good recipe..thanks again for commenting, much appreciated!
A good recipe is a good recipe and worth sharing, John and one I would make. I would however not buy the cookbook I do appreciate that you already had and it is what it is in that respect as a recipe is a recipe and good recipes should shared 🙂
Hi John, I don’t know what Mario did so it doesn’t influence my views on the dish which sounds delicious.
It’s always a tough decision, because while I’m not promoting him, I am highlighting his talent as a Chef – so I felt it was important to lay out what happened as well…thanks for taking the time to comment it is much appreciated!
I looked him up and he doesn’t sound like a nice man. Such a pity as he seems to have ruined his career.
Indeed Robbie…he was accused of the same thing that many male Chefs have been accused of: sexist, abusive behavior toward female staff…it should never be tolerated and it did indeed derail his empire.
I too have very mixed feelings about this, as while I do not condone his behavior I still use his recipes, and crave his bottled sauce. It was the only bottled tomato sauce I would use. I still have not found a suitable replacement. And I do admit that when it was announced that it would not be produced anymore I bought every bottle I could find and froze it for use beyond the best before date. I have to separate how I feel about his behavior with how I feel about his talent for cooking. Kinda like Picasso.
You make great points. His behavior was inexcusable – and sadly not unusual for that business. I have several of his cookbooks and still use them and understand your point about the sauce…are you rewarding him because you buy it? NO. I live near the Beverly Hills Hotel and there was a boycott for a time due to the ownership, then those who called for the boycott stated that the only people being punished were the workers at the hotel, NOT the owner. It’s delicate balance isn’t it…thanks so much for the comment!