Linguine alle Vongole

This is linguine alle vongole, which translates to...Linguine with clams [didn't see that coming, did ya].

I have no clue why we still use the Italian name. It's not as if anything is lost in translation. Linguine is Linguine. Vongole is Clams. Alle is with.

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Ingredients

Makes 2 Servings

• 100g linguine

• 1000g little neck clams (~2lbs)

• Olive Oil

• 20g crushed garlic (leave the skins on)

• 10g Italian Parsley, finely chopped

• 150g dry white wine. (e.g., Pinot Grigio)

• 50g water (don't make me explain this)

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Recipe

1. Steam all the clams (10 minutes total)

   1. Heat pan (large enough to hold all the clams) over medium high heat. Add oil and garlic. Simmer until golden brown. Tilt the pan to totally submerse the garlic to cook it faster. Remove and discard garlic.

   2. Add 150g (~1 cup) dry white wine and 50g water to pan. It should sizzle.

   3. Gently add clams. Cover. Adjust heat to medium-ish. [Do I need to say gently? Do people know not to throw stuff in the kitchen?]

   4. Once they're all open (~6 minutes), remove the clams to a bowl and reserve.

   5. Keep the liquid warm on low heat. Or, if you're a kitchen stud [like me] and timed the pasta and clams to finish at the same time, then leave the heat on medium.

2. Cook the pasta to 2 minutes under the package directions. That's called al dente which is Italian for "to the tooth". We're going to stick with the Italian here because al dente sounds WAY better than teeth. [You're a pro and probably started heating the water first thing, right?]

3. Grab the pasta with tongs or a skimmer and toss right into the pan cooked the clams. Add any liquid the clams may have spit up into their bowl. Turn the heat up to high. Cook the pasta for another minute or two. It'll help the sauce stick better.

4. Plate the pasta in bowls. Dump (gently) the clams on top. Grab some wine.

5. Eat.