What can I say? I was craving both dishes, so I combined them. I figured: if I love each one of them, I’d be crazy over both together! Just make sure, like I had to do, that your spouse isn’t around that night if they don’t like a lot of garlic. You’ll reek for a week! But damn, it was crazy-good!
Pasta
1/4 lb. bacon, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
18 small clams, washed and purged*
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
Good quality olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
In a large pot, salt some water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.
In another large pot on medium-high heat, fry the bacon until it’s crisp. Add the onions and saute until they’re translucent. Add the clams, oregano and wine, and cover the pot with a lid. Reduce heat to medium. The clams are cooked when they open. Discard any unopened clams.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil to medium. Add the chopped garlic and fry until just crispy. Toss in the parsley and stir to combine.
Place the pasta in a bowl or plate. Pour clams and juice over the pasta. Pour the fried garlic and oil all over the clams.
*Purging clams: Clams can be pretty sandy and gritty, so it’s important not only to scrub the outside of the shell, but to purge them as well. Clams should be stored in a bowl in the fridge with a wet dish towel over them, never in water. Once you’re ready to use them, fill a bowl with water and add salt (think salty like ocean water) and a tablespoon of corn meal. Mix this around, then add the clams and let them sit in this solution in the fridge for a couple of hours. The clams will purge (clean themselves) out. Discard the liquid and rinse the clams before cooking.
Live the Live ™ 