My mom made us clam spaghetti when we were kids. Her version used bacon, onion, canned clams (which are surprisingly not bad!), and very soft spaghetti. It's not really that far off from classic spaghetti alle vongole, which in its purest form is olive oil, garlic, and clams, but is frequently gussied up with white wine, parsley, pepper flakes, and, occasionally, pancetta.
Pasta alle Vongole i Pancetta
Serves 2
Note: you can make this without the pancetta. Just increase the olive oil to 3 tablespoons and skip step 2.
Kosher salt
7 ounces (200g) dried spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, or other long, skinny pasta
1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling at the end)
6 ounces (180g) pancetta, guanciale, or salt pork, but into 1/4-inch lardons
4 to 6 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
12 ounces live littleneck clams
Big handful chopped fresh parsley
1. Bring a large, wide skillet of lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shy of al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package directions).
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and pancetta in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until pancetta is starting to brown around the edges, about 2 minutes.
3. Add garlic and pepper flakes to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add white wine, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.
4. Add clams, cover, and cook, stirring and checking every minute or so until the clams begin to open. Continue cooking, using tongs or a spatula to gently coax the clams open.
5. When the clams are all open and the pasta is cooked, transfer the pasta to the saucepan using tongs. Toss and stir over high heat until the sauce is reduced to a rich, creamy broth and the pasta is fully cooked, adding a few splashes of pasta water if necessary. Stir in the parsley and a splash of fresh olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper (it probably won't need salt). Serve immediately.