Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes
This is one of those awesome recipes where the sauce cooks while you bring the pasta water to a boil. The linguini gets a final simmer right in the sauce, so all that briny flavor gets right inside the noodles. It's a surprisingly economical meal - and a surprisingly kid-friendly one, thanks to all that butter and garlic, which is really the gateway to seafood-loving, isn't it? Serve it with crusty bread for mopping up any delicious dregs.
by Catherine Newman
What you'll need
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped (or 1/3 cup finely chopped onion)
- 3 6.5-ounce cans chopped clams, drained, juice reserved (you should have about 1 1/2 cups of juice)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth, if the wine flavor will trouble your kids)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- Salt to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan
- 1 pound of linguini, freshly cooked until just tender (be sure to salt the cooking water well)
Notes:
Yield: Serves 6
How to make it
- Set a large pot of four quarts of water to boil (for the linguine). Salt the water generously. (Add the pasta when the water comes to a boil.)
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, then sauté the onions and garlic until softened and very fragrant - 3 or 4 minutes.
- Add the reserved clam juice, the wine or broth, and the Worcestershire sauce, raise the heat, and bring it to a vigorous simmer, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes (while you cook the linguini according to package instructions).
- Drain the linguine when it's done al dente - don't let it overcook to too much softness, as you'll be simmering it further in the sauce (next step).
- Taste the sauce for salt, then add the clams, the linguine, and the parsley, and simmer together for 5 minutes, until the sauce is mostly absorbed and everything tastes fantastic.
- Serve with grated parmesan.
