My mom made a fantastic spaghetti + clam sauce- loaded with garlic, butter and clams. It was a special treat because it was the one rare occasion where olive oil was used in her cooking. Our STAR olive oil can would last us (what seemed like) years until it needed replacing.
In college, I began making my own version of this dish. Taking notes from versions I had in restaurants. I created a simple, yet elegant version. My friend Doris fell in love with it when I made it for her the first time. It was the one dish she would ask me to make for her all the time for dinner. In fact, before I left SoCal, she made me teach her how to make it.
As I mentioned on my Instagram post, I haven't made this dish in well over 15 years. Since I never write my recipes down, this would seem to be a challenge. When I told Diddy that I was going to make the dish for dinner- his eyes lit up! And based on the 'Mmmmmms' in between bites, I nailed.
spaghetti + white clam sauce
1 lb spaghetti
8-10 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 8oz bottle clam sauce
2 4oz small cans of chopped clams or 1 8oz can whole baby clams (packed in clam juice)
2-3 tbs cornstarch*
3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
salt + pepper to taste
*In the past I used Wondra Flour to thicken the sauce. However this time I decided to use an alternate thickener. Both work equally well and don't affect the flavor of the dish.
for the pasta:
Cook pasta according to package directions- ensuring a firm texture.
for the sauce:
Drain the clams- reserving the liquid.
Dissolve the cornstarch with some of the reserved clam juice to create a slurry.
Heat pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. When the butter and oil combine add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Be sure not to brown the garlic!
Add remaining clam juices and white wine to the pan and bring to a gentle boil. Add heavy whipping cream and bring to a gentle boil.
Add cornstarch mixture to the pan stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more cream to thin it out.
Add clams, parsley, salt + pepper to taste.
assembly
Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss. Bring this to a gently boil to ensure pasta and sauce tighten together.
