Orzo Vongole With Zucchini

Inspired by the flavors of pasta alle vongole (spaghetti and clams with garlic), this brothy version features clams and orzo with sweet zucchini, which pairs particularly well with briny shellfish. The littlenecks steam open and release all of their wonderful liquor, which later gets readily absorbed by the pasta. A final swirl of butter and Parmesan creates a lovely silky sauce, studded with flecks of fresh parsley. When cooking with fresh clams, give them a good scrub to shed any grit and discard any clams that have cracked shells or are open before cooking. If fresh clams are hard to come by, you can substitute them with two (6-ounce) cans of whole clams; if the canned liquid tastes good, you can use it in place of the bottled clam juice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
• 2 dozen littleneck clams (about 3 pounds), scrubbed and rinsed
• 2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1.25 cups/8 ounces orzo
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 0.25 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
• Crusty bread (optional), for serving

Steps

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds.
2. Add clam juice and clams and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until clams open, 3 to 8 minutes; transfer the clams as they open to a large bowl. (Discard any that do not open.)
3. Add zucchini, orzo and 2 cups of water to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium. Cover, adjust heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until orzo is al dente, about 8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, working over a bowl to catch the juices, remove 1 dozen of the clams from their shells; discard the shells. Reserve the remaining clams for garnishing.
5. Add butter, shelled clams and any collected juices to the pot, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. Cook, stirring, until well incorporated and saucy, 2 minutes.
6. Turn off heat and stir in cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Divide brothy orzo among 4 shallow bowls and top each with 3 of the reserved clams. Garnish with more parsley and pepper. Serve warm, with crusty bread, if using.