Linguini With Clam Sauce, Red Or White

It's easy to think of clam sauce as something you get in a can, or at your favorite Italian restaurant with the checkered tablecloths.

But Early Show resident chef Bobby Flay says it's so easy to make that you should prepare it at home to go with linguini.

On Thursday, he showed how to do it ... whether you want the red or white version of the traditional Italian sauce.

Of course, Flay puts his own twist on the two classics, so the odds are that you'll love both, even if you thought you had a preference for one over the other.

Flay likes to use fresh clams instead of the ones that come in a jar. He uses a jar of clam stock to add flavor. He suggests using a flavorful wine — a chardonnay — to cook with. It doesn't have to be an expensive variety, but don't use wine with no flavor, either.

Linguini (also spelled linguine) is the right pasta to serve with the sauce. Linguini is flattened spaghetti, originating in the Campania region of Italy. The name means "little tongues" in Italian.

RECIPES

Linguine with White & Red Clam Sauce
Serves: 4-6

White Clam Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup bottled clam stock
1½ pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine, cooked to al dente
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced

1. Heat oil in a medium stockpot over high heat. Add garlic and cook for a minute.
2. Add crushed red pepper and cook for a few seconds.
3. Add white wine and clam stock and cook until the mixture reduces by half, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the clams, cover the pot and cook until the clams open. Discard any that do not.
5. Remove the clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
6. Bring the liquid that the clams have cooked in to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced by half. Add the butter and cook until melted, season with salt and pepper.
7. Stir in the pasta, parsley and oregano until combined. Return the clams to the pasta. Plate in large shallow bowls and serve with lots of sliced bread.

Red Clam Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 anchovy fillets
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups diced tomatoes
1½ pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine, cooked to al dente
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced

1. Heat the oil in a medium stockpot over high heat. Add garlic and anchovy and cook for a minute.
2. Add crushed red pepper and cook for a few seconds.
3. Add white wine and cook until wine reduces by half, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the clams, cover the pot and cook until the clams open, discarding any that do not. Remove the clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
5. Bring the liquid that the clams have cooked in to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced by half; season with salt and pepper. Return the clams to this mixture.
6. Stir in the pasta, parsley and basil until combined. Plate in large shallow bowls and serve with lots of sliced bread.