Linguine alle Vongole | White Wine Clam Pasta

For 1

Ingredients:

• 150g linguine

• 150g of clams, washed (about 15 small clams)

• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• A handful of Italian flat parsley, chopped

• 5 tablespoons of olive oil

• 100ml white wine

• 2 slices of lemon

• Some parmesan

• 1 large clam, baked at 175 degrees C for 20 minutes. Remove clam meat from shell, slice thinly. Reserve shell. (optional! I just used this for a fun plating set up. Larger clams tend to be tougher and are not as suitable for pasta)

Steps:

1. Boil linguine according to package instructions, set aside. Reserve pasta water.

2. In a saute pan on medium-low heat, gently poach garlic slices in olive oil. Add in red pepper flakes and let the flavours slowly infuse into the oil. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

3. Add in clams and saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add in white wine and stir. Cover the pan with a lid and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until all the clams have opened up.

4. Remove from heat. Carefully remove the clam meat from the shells and return it back into the pan. Discard the shells.

5. Place the pan back onto medium heat. Toss in linguine and add in about 50ml of pasta water, and lemon juice. Stir vigorously to get the sauce to emulsify. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and top it off with parsley and grated parmesan.

6. Serve on a plate (or a large clam shell).