Linguine with clams

Ben made this and it was divine, really delicious, I felt I was in a coastal town in southern Italy. There are two versions of this sauce; in rosso (with tomatoes) or in bianco (without tomatoes). For this dish Ben made the in bianco version as you really appreciate the taste of the clams. We are very lucky with an amazing local fishmonger - the clams were sweet and delicious.

Serves 4
Ingredients
400 g linguine (I love De Cecco pasta)
salt and pepper
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Olive oil
Sauce
2 kg small clams, cleaned
6 tbsp olive oil
100ml dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 small red chilli, chopped

Method

1. For the sauce, put the clams in a large saucepan with the olive oil, wine, garlic and chilli. Bring to the boil with the lid on and cook for a further 10 minutes before removing from the heat. Discard any clams that haven’t opened. Remove the meat from the shells (reserving a few for garnish) and keep to one side. Discard the empty shells.
2. At the base of the pan will be the sauce made of oil, wine, juices from the shells, garlic and chilli, if desired. Keep this warm.
3. In a separate pan, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 9 minutes (or as per packet instructions). Drain and add to the sauce, let the pasta infuse with the sauce. Add salt, lots of pepper and the parsley, along with the shellfish flesh.
4. Divide between the plates, adding a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and the few remaining shell-on fish. Serve immediately.