Linguine with Clams

One of my favorites! Check out my instagram page “wesaygravy” to watch this made in my ‘highlights’ section.

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 Dozen Littleneck Clams – Cleaned and rinsed
• 1 lb/Package Linguine
• 8 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Cup Fresh Parsley – Chopped
• 1 TSP Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Cup White Wine
• Half a loaf, or 8 pieces Sourdough Bread

Directions:

Prepare the stuffing:

1. Before you begin, get a large pot going with water to boil the pasta in.
2. Cut the crust off the sourdough bread pieces and discard it – you don’t want the crust.
3. Place 4 garlic cloves in s food processor and pulse.
4. Add bread, and blend until it is the texture of coarse salt.
5. Heat a dutch oven or non stick pan with olive oil on med-high heat.
6. Add breadcrumb mixture, season with salt and pepper.
7. Cook about 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs become golden brown then set aside.
8. Keep this pot with it’s olive oil

Prepare the Pasta/Clams:

1. Start cooking linguine – set time for 8 minutes (you are going to finish cooking it in another pot). SALT the water before adding pasta.
2. In the same pot as the breadcrumbs were cooked in, add 2 more TBS olive oil and the remaining 4 cloves of chopped garlic on medium heat.
3. The garlic only needs to cook for 10 seconds – add white wine immediately, and red pepper flakes.
4. Let the wine reduce for 1 minute.
5. Add the clams, and cover. Cook 5 minutes.
6. Shake the Pot to open the clams.
7. Open after 5 minutes, and take the clams out that have opened with tongs and set aside in a bowl with foil over it to keep warm. If some clams didn’t open, cover again for another minute. Discard them if they don’t open after that.
8. Add 1.5 cups pasta water to the pot which now has olive oil, garlic, wine, the juice from the clams, and pasta water from where the linguine is cooking.
9. Add the pasta to this pot that the clams were cooked in and finish cooking 4 more minutes.
10. Stir the pasta around to release the starch.
11. Take off the heat, add 3/4 of the breadcrumb mixture, 1 TBS butter, and chopped parsley. Mix.
12. Add clams back into the pot, mix.
13. Plate, and top with more breadcrumbs and parsley.