Red Clam Sauce



This dish may be a lot quicker and easier than you would think, and if you use fresh clams it’s sure to become one of your go to favorites.  While bringing your pasta water to a boil finely chop a medium shallot and a clove or two of garlic.  Heat some olive oil in a pot and sauté both along with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.  Before the shallots and garlic begin to brown add a half a cup of dry white wine if you happen to have a bottle open and reduce on medium heat for several minutes followed by a cup of clam juice.  If you’re not using wine then just use a cup and a half of clam juice, I prefer either the Better than Bullion concentrate or a couple of bottles of the Snow’s clam juice.  Next comes the Marinara sauce, 8 to 12 ounces of your favorite brand is all it takes….and the Rao’s is worth the extra couple of bucks.  When your linguine or spaghetti is nearly ready to drain add a quart of fresh chopped clams and a tablespoon of chopped Italian parsley to your sauce making sure the heat is fairly low so as not to let the clams get rubbery.  Once drained let the noodles bathe in the sauce for a few minutes, stir in some grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and serve with some more parmesan over the top.  Bread is definitely required.