Little Neck Clam Pasta

Little Neck Clams

Simple Clam Pasta

I had the opportunity to buy some beautiful Northwest Little neck clams the other night and I immediately thought of serving them simply in a pasta dish. There are many varieties of clams available but I like these best, they are small and tender with fast opening shells that release their briny liquid into a sauce. The whole cooking process is fast and can be done in the time it takes pasta to cook. The term little neck comes from the name Little Neck Bay in Long Island, New York, many years later the name became used more as a size category regardless of origin. Sadly that bay was closed to harvesting due to a increase in pollution.


Little Neck Clam Pasta

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh little neck clams, cleaned 
1/3 pound Spaghetti or linguine pasta
1 Roma tomato, diced
4 Cloves garlic, diced
3 Strips Smoked Bacon, diced
1 Splash White wine
1 Splash Extra virgin olive oil
A Pinch Chili flakes
Parsley, chopped

Method:
1. Scrub and wash the clams well till water runs clean, discard any open or broken shells.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with kosher salt, add pasta.
3. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, add bacon, garlic and chili flakes.
4. After a minute or two add the tomato saute till soft, add the wine and the clams, cover.
5. Cook the clams till they all open, add parsley.
6. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the clams, toss to mix all the ingredients.

Yield = 2-3
Note: Serve with a extra bowl for the shells and crusty bread for the juices.