Surround yourself with the best

When Jackie Behan and I opened Js' Bistro in 2007, I had hoped that I could surround myself with people more talented than myself.

I hired Melissa Madera in May of 2008 and I think she is very talented. She has trained at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and moved to Dayton to be closer to her family. She is young, energetic, loves to cook and try new ideas.

This is her recipe, try it and I think you'll see why I am glad she works with us at Js'. A good, crisp Pinot Grigio would be my choice to complement this meal. Mangiamo!

- Jerry Massad is the owner/operator of Js' Bistro in Dayton and The Cracker Box in Carson City.

Ingredients:

2 quarts of salted boiling water

8 ounces of cooked linguini

1 tablespoon of olive oil

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon of minced shallots

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1⁄2 pound of scrubbed little neck clams

1 cup of water

1⁄4 cup of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of white wine

2 tablespoons of butter

1⁄4 cup of cream

12 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 Roma tomato, seed and diced small

12 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley

2 leaves of fresh basil

ground black pepper to taste

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Warm bread rolls.

In a large pot bring two quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook the linguini until al dente, drop in a strainer rinse with cold water. Then put the pasta in a bowl and toss with olive oil. Set aside.

In a saute pan heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic; cook until translucent. Quickly add the clams and water, then close the top of the pan with a lid to steam the clams open. Turn the fire on high. This usually takes about four minutes. Once the clams are opened throw the lid to the side, lower the flame to medium and stir in chicken stock, wine, cream, lemon juice and tomatoes; let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Consistency should be kind of like whole milk at this point. When you add the pasta, the starches in the pasta will start working to thicken and absorb some of the juice. After the pasta is in the pan, lower the flame and add the herbs (tear the leaves of the basil for best flavor). At this point you should taste your juice and adjust it to your liking. Add pepper to taste. Clams are naturally salty so you could probably omit the salt. If you think it needs salt throw in a pinch. This is your meal and there are no rules.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm bread rolls.