Linguine with Clams

You can make clam sauce with canned clams, but once you try it with fresh you may never go back; this dish is amazing.

Salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 pounds littleneck or other tiny hard-shell clams or cockles, scrubbed

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

1 pound linguine or other long pasta

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh parsley leaves

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put half the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat.
• When hot, add the clams and cook, gently shaking the skillet or stirring the clams occasionally, until the first few of them open, after about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and, if you’re using them, the hot red pepper flakes and cover for a minute. Uncover, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the clams are open (any that are not open at this point may be opened at the table with an ordinary butter knife), about 3 more minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the clams covered.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is just becoming tender but is still underdone; drain it, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Sprinkle the clams with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Turn the heat to medium; add the pasta to the clams and cook, stirring, until the pasta is tender, just a minute or so, adding the reserved cooking water if the mixture seems dry. Stir in the parsley, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
  Pasta with Red Clam Sauce.
  • Just before adding the pasta to the clams, add about 11/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomato (you can peel and seed them first if you have the time and energy).
    Pasta with Clams and Pesto.
    • Prepare the clams as instructed. In Step 2 when the clams begin to open, uncover and stir in 1 cup Traditional Pesto
  • MAKES: About 4 servings
  • TIME: 30 minutes