Linguine with Clams

I don't think I really ever had linguine with clams until I had it at my sister's house. Wanna know why? Two reasons.


Nuuuumbeeerrrr One!
Da clams. From da farmers' market. Which, according to the...clam-monger, were harvested the night before.

They were sweet, flavorful...cannot type...for having gnawed...knuckles...bloody...

Nuuuumbeeerrr Two!

Da pancetta. My sister made it.  Yeah, you heard me. No, she didn't make the pig or anything, but she bought the pork, seasoned and cured it. Herself. Her badass self.

Can you believe she cured this herself? HERSELF? 

The recipe was adapted from Saveur, but honestly, this is all my sister.


Ingredients

• 1 lb. pasta, preferably linguine
• 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil  
• 4 oz. pancetta (or chorizo), finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 Fresno or Holland chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise (okay, I don't know what either of those are--go for a jalapeno or serrano)
• 2 1/2 to 3 ls. littleneck clams (about 30), scrubbed clean
• 1⁄3 cup dry white wine or vermouth
• 3 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer lovely crispy pork bits to a paper towel; set aside. 

Return skillet to medium heat and add garlic and half the chiles.

Cook, stirring, until garlic is light golden brown, about 3 minutes. 

Add clams and wine (or vermouth), increase heat to high, and cook, covered, swirling pan occasionally, until clams open and release their juices, 5–10 minutes. 

Can't you hear the clinking and clacking of those lovely clams cascading into the skillet?

Using tongs, transfer clams to a plate, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1⁄2 cup pasta water, and set aside.

Bring sauce to a boil over high heat, return meat and shallots to pan, and add reserved pasta and 1⁄4 cup cooking liquid. 

Cook, tossing pasta occasionally, until sauce clings to pasta, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in some more of the pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Add 2 tbsp. parsley, season with salt, and toss to combine.

Transfer pasta to a serving bowl, arrange clams over pasta, and pour any clam juices from the plate over pasta. 

Wait, I think we ran out of parsley. Bad us. Delicious anyway.

Ta-da!