Linguine With Clams
serves 2-4
This is the classic linguine with clams served in Mario Batali's restaurants, as described by Bill Buford in his hugely entertaining book Heat. We've adapted the recipe here for the home cook.
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound linguine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 pieces thick-cut bacon, diced
2 tablespoons plus 1 splash olive oil
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup white wine
24 clams, scrubbed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
prep: 10 minutes
total: 25 minutes
large pot
large skillet (with lid)
tongs
colander
1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it's al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, prep the garlic, onion and bacon.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot and shimmering, add the garlic, onion, bacon and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes, stirring to prevent the garlic from geting too brown.
4. Pour off most of the oil from the pan. Add the butter and white wine to the pan, swirling the pan to combine the two.
5. Turn the heat to high and add the clams to the pan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the clams open, 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat if the pan steams too agressively. When the clams open, turn the heat to low.
6. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss to coat the noodles with sauce for a minute or so. Add the parsley and a splash of olive oil, and toss again.
