Italian Christmas: Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

Everyone has that certain smell that they associate with the holidays.  For some, it's the sweet smells of cinnamon, spices, and cookies baking.  For others, it's the smell of a turkey roasting to golden perfection in the oven.  For myself, and I suspect many other Italians, Christmas smells like shellfish and garlic sauteing in olive oil.  This stems from a long-standing Italian tradition: the Feast of the Seven Fishes.  In more traditional Italian households, Christmas Eve is marked with seven different seafood dishes.  These days, although the tradition of seafood on Christmas Eve is still widely observed, not everyone goes to the trouble of preparing seven separate seafood offerings.  Growing up, my family practiced the "Feast of the Two Fishes": shrimp cocktail and my mom's famous linguine with red clam sauce (something my little brother affectionately referred to as "red-glinis").  However, I should note that the recipe that follows is my own version of this Panfili-family classic, not my mom's original recipe.  The reason is that my mom observes another time-honored Italian tradition: being very protective of her recipes.  That said, I think my recipe just about measures up ;o)

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
(Serves 2, but the recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc!)

1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (the size of the pinch is up to you, I like a BIG pinch)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 28 oz. can diced or crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. small clams, such as Manilla or Little Neck, rinsed and drained until the water runs clear (don't skip this step!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
Parmesan cheese



Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan with a lid (that lid will come in handy later).  Once the olive oil is hot, add the garlic and crushed red pepper.  Saute until the garlic is just fragrant.  Add the white wine, stirring to deglaze the pan.  Let the wine simmer until reduced substantially.  Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, and stir.  Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer, and allow it to bubble away until slightly reduced, about 5-7 minutes.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the linguine to the boiling water and the clams to the simmering tomato sauce.  Cover the clam sauce and give the saute pan a little swirl.  Allow the clams to cook for about 5 minutes, they should all open up.  If you get a stubborn clam that just won't open, odds are, it's no good!  Toss it!  Once the clams have opened, remove the sauce from the heat and add the parsley.  At this point, you should taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.  Once the linguine is al dente, remove it from the boiling water and toss it with the clam sauce.  Top with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese, serve with crusty Italian bread, and mangia!

This is what Christmas looks like at my house, yum!