Iowa Recipe Quest-Cooking With Iowa’s Brews, Wines, & Spirits: Tassel Ridge Clam Sauce

The seafood tooth went off and this crisp Iowa wine came calling!

Tassel Ridge Winery Star Spangled White Wine: Leighton, Iowa

Why oh why do I not cook more seafood? Why oh why do I not grab a bottle of Tassel Ridge more often. I don’t have the answers to those questions. I do know that magic happens when I get this couple together. They really should hangout more often. Let’s get this lovely duo cooking!

HY Vee ND — The official sponsor to Iowa Recipe Quest are these helpful smiles at the North Dodge Hy-Vee in Iowa City! All of our groceries and supplies for Iowa Recipe Quest are located here and we couldn’t be happier to team up with them.

Prep time: 1o minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Yield: 5 dinner portions

1 box of Hy-Vee Penne Rigate pasta
8 oz clam juice
1 cup Tassel Ridge Star Spangled White Wine
1 cold stick unsalted butter sliced into tablespoons
1 small can of chopped clams with juice
juice from 1/2 of fresh lemon
20 fresh brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1/4 cup l red onion diced
1/4 cup celery hearts with leaves diced
1/2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 small orange bell pepper diced
1 small zucchini sliced
1 small yellow squash sliced
1 bunch asparagus chopped
8 oz sliced button mushrooms
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Generous portion of shredded Asiago cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
5 portions of fresh salmon

Get a pot of water going to cook some pasta and let’s start prepping the rest! In a small pot, bring the clam juice and wine to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add butter one piece at a time whisking constantly. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, the clams, lemon juice, and set aside. Make sure that pasta doesn’t get cooked too long! We want that nice and al dente…….In the mean time get your salmon going. Cook it how ever you prefer. This sauce goes well with salmon anyway it’s prepared. Grill, broil, bake, steam….Just get this cooked and get those guests fed!

Put extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan on high heat. Add the brussels sprouts, onion, celery, garlic, and bell pepper. Saute for a couple minutes and add the zucchini, squash, asparagus, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning. Saute for another couple minutes. Add parsley, salt, and black pepper. Toss a couple times and then add the white wine clam sauce. Bring to a low simmer and fold in the Asiago cheese. Fold in the pasta and serve!

I pan-seared our salmon and made sure I had a glass of that Star Spangled White Wine to go with this mountain of pasta, fresh veggies, and tender fish. Let’s do this again, Tassel Ridge!

Be sure to read about more of our kitchen adventures in Iowa Recipe Quest!