Making Friends Over Food
Last summer, when Thunderbolt Adventure Supply was just getting started, I got a message through our Instagram page from @everydaysandro wondering if he could see the kitchen we had designed for the Rivian’s Gear Tunnel. Sandro was going to be passing near Stinson Beach, where we were vacationing, so we had him meet us in the parking lot near the Rivian Waypoint Chargers. Sandro checked out our kitchen, and we poked around his Tesla, which he had customized to live in. He told us about a friend who was also living and camping out his Tesla, so I started following Jimmy @livingintesla as well.
Jimmy had documented his adventures living and traveling around North America in his Tesla and building a custom camper system for his Model Y. Along the way, people saw and liked what Jimmy had built for himself, and he decided to make something that others could purchase. His first product was a frunk table, which eventually lent its name to the whole business—Fruble.
Fast-forward to this year, when we found out that Jimmy would be passing through the Bay area on his way to meet a friend in Southern California. We’ve been wanting to meet Jimmy and talk about ways we could work together for a while, so we invited him to dinner. I’ve written before that we love meeting our customers and sharing food with folks. We also love meeting folks trying to create solutions for some of the same problems we’re working on. We’re excited that we’ll be helping spread the word about Jimmy’s great Fruble products by making them available in our web store.
We had a great time chatting with Jimmy and hearing about his adventures. We can't wait to talk to Sandro when he returns from his Canadian is back from his Arctic Circle adventure
But I know what you really want to know is what we made for dinner. So here it is:
Clam Linguini with Garlic and Corn
- 6 ears of roasted corn
- 2 sticks butter
- One whole head of garlic, minced
- 4 shallots, finely diced
- 3 pounds clams
- 18 ounces of pasta (we used gluten-free pasta that night)
- ½ a bottle of dry white wine (or more). You could also use broth or the pasta water.
- A bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Roast 6 ears of shucked corn over a charcoal fire. You could also saute the corn in a very hot skillet, but the smoke from the grill adds to this dish. Cut the kernels off the ears and set aside. (we used corn we’d roasted the day before)
Cook your pasta in well-salted water until it is al dente, drain well, saving the water if you plan to use it to steam the clams. Put the pasta back in the cooking pot and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat the pasta strands to lesson them sticking together.
Place a very large pan like a paella over a medium-hot fire. Once the pan is hot, melt the butter. Then, saute your minced garlic and shallots until fragrant. Stir in the corn and then the clams. Add at least half a bottle of wine, and then cover the grill to steam open the clams. If you notice that the pan is starting to look dry, add more wine (or water or broth). When the clams have opened, stir in the pasta and parsley. You could also add a little more wine (or water or broth) and/or butter at this stage to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
Serve with a crusty rustic loaf of bread.
As you can tell from the amounts above, we were cooking for a crowd. However, this could easily be reduced to serve fewer people.
