With thin vermicelli and tender small clams, this is a very quick-cooking (and very delicious) pasta. To yield their most intense flavor, though, the clams should be freshly shucked and totally raw when they go into the sauce, rather than being steamed in the shell. The method given here—freezing the clams briefly before shucking—makes this task easier than you can imagine, even if you are not a skilled shellfish shucker.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　3 1/2 pounds littleneck clams

　　1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste

　　10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　10 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

　　1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

　　1 cup tomatoes al filetto—fresh or canned plum tomatoes seeded and sliced in thin strips

　　4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　1 pound vermicelli

　　

Recommended Equipment

A clam- or oyster-shucking knife, or other knife with a sturdy, short, sharp blade

　　A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 14-inch diameter or larger

　　A large pot, 8-quart capacity or larger, with a cover, for cooking the pasta

　　

Step 1

Put the clams in a single layer on a tray or platter, and freeze them for about 1/2 hour. Working over a bowl to catch every drop of clam liquor, open the clams with the shucking knife, cut the meat free from both half-shells, and let the meat and liquor fall into the bowl.

　　

Step 2

Strain the collected clams through a sieve set over a small bowl or measuring cup. Let the sediment in the liquor settle, then pour off the clean liquor on top—1/2 cup or so—and save for the sauce. Chop the clams roughly into large pieces.

　　

Step 3

Before starting the sauce, begin heating the pasta-cooking water—at least 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt.

　　

Step 4

Pour 1/2 cup of the olive oil into the big skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Scatter in the sliced garlic, heat to sizzling, and sprinkle over it the peperoncino. Cook another minute, add the sliced tomatoes and the reserved clam liquor, stir, and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and stir in the clams. Return to the boil, and cook at a bubbling simmer for 3 or 4 minutes—if the clams release a frothy scum, scoop it off the surface and discard. When the sauce has achieved a nice density, lower the heat, and season with salt to taste. Stir in the parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

　　

Step 5

With the pasta water at a rolling boil, drop in the vermicelli when the clams are cooking in the sauce. Cook briefly, and lift the pasta from the pot while still quite al dente, let it drain briefly, and drop it onto the simmering sauce. Toss the vermicelli in the sauce for a couple of minutes, until the pasta is cooked through and dressed with the sauce and there’s no soupiness in the pan. Serve immediately.

　　From Lidia's Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Copyright (c) 2007 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.