Clam Sauce Two Ways

At Clara’s, my husband would pick the busiest times to eat his dinners!

Ingredients (for both sauces):

½ lb linguine (recommended; any pasta works)
1½ tsp olive oil
13 oz clams in juice (2 6.5 oz cans) (drain juices but keep in separate bowl)
2 Tbsp garlic purée (page 25)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup white wine

For red sauce:

4 Tbsp San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand or in a blender (for a smoother sauce, process tomatoes longer)

Procedure:

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add oil. Add garlic purée, let dance. Add parsley to coat garlic. Add drained clams. Add seasonings; sauté. (If making red sauce, this is where you add the crushed tomatoes.) Add wine, let simmer. Most of the wine should be dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add the juices from the clams. Simmer about 2 minutes. Add drained pasta to clam sauce and serve. Serves 2.

TIP: This dish can be made with fresh clams! Do this as your first step: Clean sand from clams by soaking in salt water and scrubbing the shells, then sauté clams in oil until they pop and remove. Add back when you finish the last step of the recipe.