Spaghetti with Clams

This is one of those dishes that I've always wanted to make at home, but like SP, I've had a few unsatisfactory experiences. The problem with clam pasta has always been a sauce that's just too soupy, like a thin broth rather than a smooth, velvety coating for the pasta.

Inspired by his recent post, here's how we did it tonight. And it was perfect. The trick, I found, is to let my anal retentive tendencies go wild.

Start with the basic base for just about everything: warm up some minced garlic and red chili pepper flakes in olive oil. I added four anchovies and mashed them up in the olive oil. Finally, I added a pint of grape tomatoes and some white wine and let the tomatoes wither and dejuice. When the tomatoes look like prunes, add some more white wine, and then place some well-scrubbed clams in the pot. Turn the heat on high and cover up the pot. A couple minutes later, the clams are steamed open.  I'm so relieved when all the clams are open, and I don't need to throw any away.

Now, here's where I went a little psycho, but it's worth it. I removed all the clams from the pot, and add the spaghetti that's only cooked about half way. Removing the clams ensures that I don't scratch up my pot. And then I let the spaghetti finish cooking in the winey/clammy/tomatoey soup. The spaghetti absorbs the flavors of the sauce while releasing starches that thicken up the sauce. We call this win-win-Win-WIN!

When the spaghetti's done, I throw in some basil.

And then toss the whole mess together. With tongs of course. Like Shep said, tongs are indispensable to making pasta.