Pancetta, Clams, Garlic and Olive Oil

(ed note: I'm a bit burnt out after our event on 3/17.  Thanks to all for coming!  Until I'm back to my old self, I offer you a re-post from a dish I made a year or so ago.  I recommend cracking a bottle of an Italian red and serving this dish to someone you'd enjoy making out with, as surely you'll get a big kiss for your efforts).

...and spaghetti.  This is a take on the classic dish that we eat on Christmas Eve called Alio Olio.  I look forward to eating this dish every Christmas Eve with the family, but I eat it throughout the year as well. It's just one of those things that I crave at times.  We traditionally make it by infusing the olive oil with garlic, peperoncino and chopped parsley at the last second.  When my Uncle feels like breaking the fish-only rule on Christmas Eve, we add browned pancetta.  The pasta, most often angel hair but definitely not thicker than spaghetti, needs to be cooked just short of al dente and then added to the pan with the infused oil.  Lots of parm regg is added and that's the dish.  Here I make it with chopped clams and stick with the pancetta for some extra flavor.

This dish needs to be cooked with a full glass of red wine at all times or what some of us call a "cool down" beer. 

Full recipe after the jump.....

You can use fresh clams and serve them in the shell with the pasta or you can buy fresh chopped or frozen clams if you have a good source.  I can get clams shelled with their juices, which I like so I can just plow right through this when eating.  No time for picking clams out of shells!

Ingredient Shopping List
Recipe serves two people.

1 box spaghetti, linguini dry pasta
extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds littleneck or Manila clams, scrubbed and rinsed well or 1 cup chopped clams fresh or frozen
1 lemon
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ lb pancetta
parmigiano reggiano (optional)

Estimated cost of ingredients: $15

Prep the Ingredients

Chop two large cloves garlic. Chop handful of parsley, about two tablespoons worth. Cube about ½ cup of pancetta. If using clams in shell, scrub and rinse sand from shells. If using chopped clams, pick through to make sure there aren’t any shells. If using frozen chopped clams, place in a strainer and run under cold water to defrost.

Boil the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add ½ box of pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until "al dente”. Make the below sauce while waiting for pasta to boil so you can strain the pasta and place it directly into the below pan with the sauce.

Make the Sauce

Place a large pan with sides on medium heat. Add a touch of olive oil and place the pancetta in the pan and brown both sides, about two minutes each side. Take the pancetta out of the pan and reserve on paper towels. Drain the fat from pan. Place pan on medium heat and add a decent amount olive oil to the pan, about 1/8 cup. Place chopped garlic, a sprinkle of chili flakes to the pan. After a minute, add the clams to the pan. If you are using chopped frozen or fresh, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and sauté for only one minute. (If using clams in shell, add the clams after sautéing garlic, along with squeeze of lemon juice . Cover and cook, shaking the pan periodically, until all the clams are opened, about 7 minutes. Discard any that have not opened.)

Finish the Dish
Crank the sauce up to medium-high heat. Add the hot, drained linguine to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Toss the pasta with the clams and olive oil sauce so it's nicely coated. Add a handful of chopped parsley. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil before serving and if you are not interested in being traditional, a handful of parm cheese.

Comments

[david]

man that looks good.

[MarmitonsCranford]

Can't wait to try this, Looks soooo good!

[mek]

This is one of the ultimate weekday meals, absoutely a must in anyone's rotation. Beautifully simple and delicious. All it takes to elevate it to special occasion status is fresh ingredients, but I'm lazy and use canned clams and bacon on worknights. :P

[tami]

when i totally steal this recipe and make it for *my* blog, i will give you mad props.

i'll have red wine with you anytime! ;)

[joe]

if only that were true...:(

[Markus]

Looks great. A couple of twists from my mom:

For plain ajo ojo, my mom cooks garlic in a bit less olive oil with red and black pepper very slowly (as in irresistible-urge-to-fork-yourself-in-the-forehead-it's-taking-so-damn-long slowly), then swirls in some sweet butter off the heat. Hold onto the pasta cooking water for moistening, do get the salt right, and definitely add the parm, but there's no need to recook the pasta in the pan when you're using butter and cheese. Romans might scream in horror, but it's good.

Second: Canned clams become tender after long, slow stewing. They work really well in a red clam sauce after about 45 minutes; add a few fresh clams near the end for extra pizzaz. To do this in white clam sauce, you obviously need a little bit of braising liquid (watered white wine).

Great blog, btw.

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