By Carol Frazzetta

This special recipe that my Sicilian family made every Christmas Eve is in my first book Carol’s Café Pasta Sauces that I worked on for two years. It was a very sentimental undertaking, working on family recipes, stories and special sauce recipes that my customers loved at Carol’s Café.

Ingredients
3 dozen little neck clams
4 – 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 large shallot, finely minced
2 to 3 red dried chili peppers minced, or red pepper flakes to taste or fresh Chile, minced to taste 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Fresh oregano to taste (optional)
Fresh basil to taste (optional)
Reserved clam juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
1/2 cup reserved pasta water or fish stock

Wash clams in cold water, scrubbing well with a stiff vegetable brush. Carefully shuck clams over a bowl and reserve all the juices (your fishmonger may do this for you) Reserve several clam shells for garnish.

Dip clams into clam juice to clean them of sand. Never dip shucked clams in water, because it washes away the flavor. Chop coarsely and set aside. Strain clam juice into a bowl through a double layer of rinsed cheesecloth placed over a strainer. The clams and clam juice must be cleaned thoroughly so there is not a speck of sand. Set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan, place garlic, shallots and fresh Jalapeno or Serrano or dried red peppers (if using) in cold olive oil and very slowly sauté ingredients until garlic and shallots are pale gold in color and chili pepper is softened. Watch carefully, stir occasionally. Do not brown. This can take as long as 10 minutes.

Add parsley, red pepper flakes or finely chopped fresh Chile (if using) and strained clam juice. Set aside. Just before linguine or spaghetti is finished cooking, al dente, remove and reserve 1⁄2 cup of pasta water.

Heat the sauce until hot, add clams and heat for just a minute. Do not add clams until you are ready to serve, or they will become tough. Add pasta water or fish stock and serve immediately over hot pasta. Taste for salt, pepper, fresh oregano or basil (if using) and season to taste).

Bon Appetit, Chef Carol

Clam Shucking: Wash clams in cold water, scrub well with a stiff brush. Place in a large saucepan with 2-3 tablespoons white wine and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover pot and cook clams quickly over a high flame, stirring occasionally, just until clams open. Be careful not to overcook. Remove clams immediately with a slotted spoon. Strain juices through a coffee filter or washed cheesecloth; set aside. Remove clams from shells and coarsely chop.