Mimi Shanley Taft

In Italy it is possible to find inexpensive Barolo wines that are perfect to cook with. Unfortunately, that is not the case in America. Because you don't want to pour a fifteen-dollar bottle of wine over a four-dollar piece of meat, I recommend cooking with a flavorful inexpensive red wine and reserving the Barolo to serve with dinner. For tender, flavorful meat, it is best to prepare this dish several hours or, even better, a full day ahead of time. Reheat it in the oven before serving with mashed potatoes or polenta. I begin this recipe by preparing asacchétto di spezie,a little bag of herbs and spices.

According to my father, this was one of Nònno Tucci's favorite sauces to make. "He preferred to open the clams himself," recalls Stan. "He would collect the juice and remove the clam meat, making certain to collect all the juice. In the summer when we had large outdoor parties, we often served a bushel of raw clams on ice. Any remaining clams were prepared following my father's methods and frozen. They defrost quickly, providing a meal in the time it takes to cook the pasta." If your fish market will open the clams and reserve the juice, it will save a lot of preparation time. If not, wash the clamshells thoroughly. Open the clams over a large bowl to catch the juices. Remove clams, discarding the dark sac, and set aside. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove sand and shells. Add the clams to the strained juice. Begin to prepare the sauce when the pasta is halfway cooked.

This is a family favorite, created by Gianni's aunt Angela. It's a great cake to make when summer fruit is abundant. It is delicious when made with the plums called for in this recipe, but you may also want to consider using figs—one of my favorite fruits—or pitted sweet cherries. You can substitute about 6 quartered figs or 1/2 cup of cherries in place of the plums.