Grocery List / Ingredients:

½ - ¾ pound of dry linguini noodles depending on size of your appetite
2 pounds of fresh steamer clams (there are several varieties of clams depending on your geographic location. When in doubt while shopping, tell the person behind the fresh seafood counter what you are looking for and they'll steer you in the right direction)
1 cup of freshly chopped parsley
dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup of white wine (you can drink the rest of the bottle with dinner)
½ cup of butter
4 T. olive oil
3 cloves of chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
optional: Salad Fixin's, Parmesan Cheese, and French Bread

Recipe: Courtney's Linguini and Clams

When you buy the clams, they are alive. I know, it's creepy. But it is very important that you keep it in mind because you must keep them alive, ergo refrigerated, and cook them the same day that you bought them. It's fine to keep them in the package they came in while they chill in your fridge.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta.

While the pasta is boiling, get your clams out and put them in a colander in the sink. Run cold water over the clams and scrub them with a clean scouring pad or scrub brush. Do not use soap. Let them sit in the colander and put it aside.

Follow the directions on your package of pasta to figure out how long to cook your linguini. When in doubt, pull out one strand, run it under some cold water, and taste it. When the pasta is ready, lift it out of the boiling water, drain the colander, and set it aside. Scoop 2 cups of pasta water out of the pot, put in a bowl and set aside to use later. Empty the rest of the water out of the pot and then place it back on the range.

Set the flame on high heat, and pour in the olive oil. After the olive oil has heated up, add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes, and they should sizzle slightly. Add the clams. Add the 2 cups of pasta water that you had set aside and 1 cup of white wine to the pot and bring to a boil for a couple minutes to let the alcohol evaporate and then place the lid on top of the pot.

Don't wander away anywhere -- keep an eye on the pot. Let it boil until all the clams have opened -- this should happen quickly, taking anywhere from 4 to 7 minutes. If you overcook the clams, they will end up shrunken, shriveled, and rubbery... three things that tend to not impress a girl. If any of the clams do not open, DO NOT EAT THEM. They should be wide open; you should not have to pry them at all. If they are closed or mostly closed, it means they were not alive when you put them in and therefore unsafe to eat. Throw them away, or give them to your neighbor's dog.

Lower the heat to medium. Carefully remove the clams out of the pot using a large spoon or ladle, and set them aside for a moment, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Take the pasta that you had set aside and throw it all into the pot. Add the butter and parsley -- toss everything together and heat through for a minute.

Serve immediately by placing the pasta on plates first and placing the clams on top. For extra garnish, feel free to add salt, black pepper, parmesan cheese, parsley, or more red pepper flakes. Recommended sides are a simple salad and some French bread along with the rest of the white wine.

The lesson we've learned here, is to purchase basic pots that have multiple uses and provide a variety of functions, while saving us money and space in our cupboard. The other lesson is that if a clam won't open for you, don't eat it (rather good advice that could probably be applied to other things, but for now I'll just leave you with well wishes of happy cooking.) Bon Appetite!

Courtney Young would like to have someone cook for her for a change. Interested parties willing to impress her with their culinary skill should send recipes to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and food samples c/o Chaser Magazine.