Pasta With White Wine Clam Sauce

This is a light, delicious clam sauce in a white wine sauce. I used 1/2 of a very large (51 oz) can of chopped clams, which I bought at a warehouse store, and a moderately good white wine. I used the hollow tubed thick spaghetti, perciatelli, so the flavor of the sauce permeates the pasta. Prepare your ingredients for the sauce while the water is boiling. After the water for pasta is boiling, this recipe takes only minutes to put together. I adapted this recipe from one given to me by a friend whose mother was an embassy chef.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 25  ounces clams, canned with their juice
• 2 -3  tablespoons olive oil
• 10 -15  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1  cup white wine
• 1  pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 3⁄4 lb  perciatelli (hollow tube spaghetti)
• 1⁄2 lemon

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water with a dash of salt to a boil, and add perciatelli, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, but reserve some of pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce.
2. In a large skillet, over a medium heat, heat the olive oil until warmed, but not smoking.
3. Add garlic and stir to prevent burning, cooking until garlic releases scent, then add parsley and continue to cook for another minute or two.
4. Add about 1 cup of clam juice from canned clams, white wine, and salt.
5. If desired, add pepper flakes.
6. Cook until bubbling.
7. Mix flour with about 1/2 cup cold clam juice or wine, and then stir into the bubbling sauce, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
8. Turn heat down to low, and add clams and cook over low heat for 5 minutes to gently heat clams. You may need to add more clam juice or a little pasta water. Taste to correct seasoning, and add more salt if you want.
9. Pour drained perciatelli into the skillet, and mix well.
10. Add squeeze of fresh lemon.