Ingredients

serves 6

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta pot

　　1 pound linguine

　　6 tablespoons olive oil

　　6 garlic cloves, sliced

　　1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

　　28-ounce can plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand

　　36 littleneck clams, scrubbed

　　10 large fresh basil leaves, shredded

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once it is boiling, slip the linguine into the pot and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water.

　　

Step 2

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Toss in the sliced garlic, and cook until garlic is sizzling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with the peperoncino, let toast for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes. Rinse out the tomato can with a cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, pour it into the sauce, and stir. Season with the salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, to thicken the sauce and develop the flavors, about 8 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Add the clams to the sauce, and cover the pan. The clams will take about 7 to 8 minutes to open. Check them occasionally, removing to a bowl any that have opened fully. Carefully remove hot clam meat from the shells, using a towel if the clams are too hot to handle comfortably.

　　

Step 4

Once all of the clams have opened and been removed, add the shredded basil to the sauce. Add the cooked linguine to the sauce. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and put the shucked clams back in. Toss for a minute to coat the pasta with the sauce, and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.