Clam and Shrimp Pasta

This delicious dinner is a modified version of a recipe from an organic cookbook my roommate gave me for my birthday. It was very delicious and fairly easy. We didn't use the heavy cream since we're trying to make healthy dishes for our site (much to Michael's dismay). I must admit, it might have been even more delicious with the cream :) We've never cooked with chard before (which kind of reminded us of bok choy) but it added an interesting twist to the dish. Since we went to the store before noon on Sunday (crazy blue law!), we couldn't get any vermouth so just used some white wine we already had at home- which worked out fine. If you're not a fan of clams, feel free to omit them.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb of shrimp or scallops
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (with the juice)
• 1 cup clam juice or chicken broth (we used the broth)
• 1/2 cup dry vermouth (we used white wine)
  
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 1 lb. clams (littleneck, Manila, or cherrystone), scrubbed
• salt
  
• pepper
• 1 tsp. red (cayenne) or chipotle pepper
• 12 oz. angel hair pasta
• 1 lb. chard, remove and discard large stems

Directions

1. Heat butter & oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic & shallots, cook 2 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes (& juice), clam juice (or ckn broth), and vermouth (or wine). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add thyme, paprika, lime zest, and cream (if using). Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until reduced by one-third.
   
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
5. Add shrimp/scallops and clams to the sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and red/chipotle pepper to taste. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes - or until clams open and shrimp is done.
6. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions. Add the chard during the last minute of cooking time.
   
7. Drain pasta/chard and place in a large bowl. Pour the seafood sauce over top and serve.