Almost Italian

I once assumed that Pasta with Clam Sauce was just one more “wise guy” dish invented by self-assured Italian-Americans in beach communities along the Eastern Seaboard. The New York Times first mentioned linguine with clam sauce in a restaurant review in 1951. And back in the Seventies, no less a wise guy than Joey Gallo was, as they say, “dispatched” at Umberto’s Clam House in Greenwich Village while he was midway through his dish of Linguine alle Vongole. That unfortunate mayhem aside, clams are a great condimento for pasta. And although the dish is firmly fixed in Little Italy restaurant folklore, it really is Italian. Few pasta sauces are easier: you don’t start this one until you’ve put your pasta into a pot of boiling water.

Linguine with Clam Sauce
Copyright © 2011, Skip Lombardi

The traditional Italian preparation calls for spaghetti and live clams (in their shells) quickly cooked with olive oil, garlic, and a splash of white wine. The heat causes the clam to  steam themselves open, and their flavorful, briny liquor is released into the other ingredients.

Mahogany clams (Arctica islandia, raised in the icy waters of Maine), or any other small, hard-shelled clam will by closest to the mollusks used in Italy. But if you can’t find clams (2” or smaller) in their shells (fresh at fish-markets or frozen in many Asian markets) the fresh, chopped clams at your supermarket seafood counter or even inexpensive and widely available canned baby clams will all produce a delicious sauce.

For this dish, I like to cook the pasta just short of al dente. I then drain the pasta and add it to the clam pan where it finishes cooking as it absorbs the garlicky clam broth.

For the sake of simplicity, the recipe here depends upon canned clams or fresh, chopped clams. That makes it a perfect late-night dinner that you can always produce from ingredients in the pantry or fridge.

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Linguine
1 Lb. Chopped clams  or 2 10-ounce cans of baby clams
2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 – 4 Cloves garlic, peeled, and thinly sliced
24 Mahogany or small Cherrystone clams (Optional—they add another flavor dimension and look great!)
1/2 Cup dry white wine
Juice and grated rind of one lemon
Clam liquor, reserved from the chopped or canned clams
6 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt & freshly-ground black pepper

Preparation:

Bring a pot with 4 – 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt, and then add the pasta.

Drain the fresh, chopped clams (or canned baby clams) through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Reserve their liquor.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the sliced garlic. Cook the garlic until it is fragrant, about a minute.

If using the optional in-shell clams, add them now to the sauté pan and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, or until they have all opened. After 5 minutes, remove and discard any clams that have not opened.

Add the drained chopped or baby clams, raise the heat to medium-high, and sauté all for a 2 minutes, shaking the pan gently back and forth.

Add the wine and let the mixture bubble for a minute or two to evaporate the alcohol.

Now, check your pasta. It should bend, but still be a bit stiff. Drain it in a colander and then add it to the sauce. With two forks or kitchen tongs, lift the pasta in hanks until it is all gently coated with the sauce. Lower the heat to medium, add the lemon juice and grated rind. Sprinkle in half the chopped parsley. Continue to gently combine all the ingredients. Add some of the reserved clam liquor as necessary to keep the sauce from becoming too thick.

When the pasta has cooked to the al dente stage, twirl a couple of strands on a fork and let them cool before you taste the dish for salt. Season as necessary with salt and freshly ground pepper. Divide the pasta and sauce equally into four shallow bowls. Garnish each serving with the optional steamed clams and remaining chopped parsley.

Serves four, as a light supper, or six as a first course.