Clam Sauce with Linguine

Source: Food Network (Anne Burrell)

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 9 cloves garlic, divided, smashed
• 5 doz littleneck clams, divided, scrubbed under cold running water
• 1 cup white wine
• ½ cup water
• 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. linguine
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
• 1 cup grated Parma-Reggiano, optional, plus shavings
• kosher salt

Method

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

Put 3½ dozen clams in pan with wine and ½ c. water. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook until clams open, about 10 minutes. Remove clams from pan and reduce cooking liquid. Let the clams cool slightly, then remove them from the shells and reserve. Discard the shells. Pour cooking liquid into a measuring cup.

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

Coat same saute pan again with olive oil and add the remaining garlic cloves and a large pinch of crushed pepper flakes. Bring pan to med-hi and cook until garlic becomes golden brown and then discard. Add the remaining raw clams and reserved clam cooking liquid to pan. When adding reserved clam liquid, be sure to check for sand in bottom. Cover and cook until the clams open.

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

Remove the cooked clams in their shells from pan and keep warm. 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 sauce until sauce clings to pasta. Turn off heat and toss in grated Parma-Reggiano, if using, and finish with a drizzle of oil.

Toss or stir vigorously to combine.

Notes

Watch out, Helen. Two ingredients are divided!