Spaghetti alle Vongole

Quick, easy and one of the most delicious summertime pasta dishes outside of a good pesto. Afterwards, just sit back and enjoy a crisp Pinto Grigio or Rose like you're sitting seaside on the Almafi coast.  

The clams are the star of this dish, but co-starring is the garlic. You may also call this dish 'Aglio con Spaghetti alle Vongole.'  I've cooked this recipe for years using the sweetness of caramelized garlic, which adds a nice component to this dish. Yes, my family in Italy is shaking their heads right now as they cook with a very little amount of garlic. Go figure? But here in the US we've become accustomed to big flavors in our dishes. So get out my old recipe for caramelized garlic and make a half dozen heads before the upcoming holiday weekend. I guarantee you won't have any left come next Tuesday morning. Breakfast anyone? Maybe garlic French toast? I'll save that for another post..

Spaghetti alle Vongole recipe by George Hirsch
makes 4-6 servings | Adapted from Know Your Fire Cookbook

1 pound dry spaghetti or linguine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 heads caramelized garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds Manila or littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed well
1 cup dry white wine 
Juice of 1 lemon
4 Tablespoons sweet butter
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh basil, rough chopped
Optional: 1/4 cup lightly toasted bread crumbs

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente.

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to toss the spaghetti directly into the sauce.

Pre heat a deep side saute pan or dutch oven; add olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes; saute for 1 minute. Add the clams, wine, half the parsley and lemon juice. Cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the clams are opened, about 5 - 8 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.

Increase heat to medium temperature add the hot, drained linguine to the pan; add the butter and season with pepper. Toss the pasta with the clams to coat pasta with clam sauce. Top with chopped parsley, basil and toasted bread crumbs. Drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve immediately.