Archivist Rosie Grant, in her debut cookbook, in which she’s traveled the U.S. tracking down and re-creating recipes on gravestones, includes the recipe she’d want to have on her gravestone right now — if she had to pick. That would be clam linguine, she says, which she enjoys preparing with homemade pasta.
“I’m moved by the idea that what matters in life is not our accomplishments, but how we connect with others,” she writes. “If I’m going to be remembered for anything, let it be a good meal, paired with great company.”
Clam Linguine
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
Salt
One 16-ounce package linguine, or homemade pasta if you have time
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry white wine (ideally Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds littleneck clams (about 45) or two 6.5-ounce cans minced clams, with juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus more to taste
Lemon juice (optional), for finishing
“To Die For” cookbook author Rosie Grant is the creator behind @GhostlyArchive, a TikTok account she started while an intern at Congressional Cemetery. After finding and cooking a recipe she found on a tombstone, she kept discovering more recipes and made a cookbook out of the collection. (Courtesy of Jill Petracek)
DIRECTIONS
Fill a large pot with water, add a generous pinch of salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the linguine and cook to just before al dente according to the package directions. Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and stir and cook just until golden, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir well. Add the clams and 1/2 cup of the parsley. Cover the pan and simmer until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. If any clams don’t open, throw them out!
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the clams. If your pan is too small, move the clams to a plate and add them back later. Toss the pasta in the sauce over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until it soaks up the sauce and becomes tender. If it looks too dry, stir in a little of the reserved pasta water.
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Take the pan off the heat and add the butter, lemon zest, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley. Toss everything together. Taste the pasta and add more salt, more lemon zest, or some lemon juice if needed.
Divide the pasta and clams among plates and enjoy while hot.
— Courtesy Rosie Grant, “To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes” (Harvest, $26)
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