Linguine with White Clam Sauce

Mmmm sexy little pasta dish for a week day night. Original recipe from here. I used less clams than her original recipe - about 3 dozen clams and added anchovies as I saw some other recipes had that and it turned out delicious. The step regarding sauteed garlic cloves seems unnecessary but it does make your kitchen smell fantastic so do it.

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil

9 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 can anchovies, chopped

5 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed under cold running water - CLEANED! See note

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound linguine

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

1/2-1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional, plus shavings for garnish

How to clean clams - here. In a nutshell, soak them in COLD water for 20 minutes, drain, repeat 1-2 times. You can do this the day before to save time.

What To Do

1. (Clean clams if you haven’t)

2. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and add half the garlic cloves. Bring the pan to a medium- high heat and cook until the garlic becomes golden brown. When the garlic is golden brown and very aromatic, remove it and discard.

3. Put 3 1/2 dozen clams in the pan with the wine and 1/2 cup of water. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook until the clams open, about 10 minutes. Remove the clams from the pan and reduce the cooking liquid for another 10 minutes. Once clams are cool, remove them from the shells and reserve. Discard the shells. Pour the cooking liquid into a measuring cup.

4. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over medium heat.

5. Coat the same saute pan again with olive oil and add the remaining garlic cloves, anchovies, and a large pinch of crushed pepper flakes. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until the garlic becomes golden brown. Add the reserved clam cooking liquid to the pan.

6. While the clams are cooking, drop the linguine into the salted boiling water and cook until the pasta is very "al dente" maybe a minute or so less than the box directs.

7. Add the butter and cooked clams that have been removed from their shells back to the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and toss in the cooked pasta and the herbs. Cook the pasta together with the sauce until the sauce clings to the pasta. Turn off the heat and toss in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, if using, and finish with a drizzle of big fat finishing oil. Toss or stir vigorously to combine.

8. Divide the pasta into serving dishes and garnish with the clams that are still in their shells and a little more shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired.