In the summertime in New England there is an abundance of seafood and in my opinion the best time to eat clams.  They are sweeter, easier to find and incredibly satisfying to eat.  When I went into the grocery store trying to figure out what to make for dinner, the clams were the only thing that seemed appealing.  I got two dozen clams and some fresh pasta and it was the best decision I have made in a while.  I used chorizo with the clams, which is something that is done often in New England, and it brought a rich flavor to the dish.  This is a great go-to weekday dish because it only takes about twenty minutes and it is a great crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

2 dozen little neck clams

1 pd. fresh linguine

1 cured chorizo link

1/4 cup butter

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup white wine (I used a vouvray which is dry and a little sweet)

1 shallot, sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. crushed red peppers

Recipe

Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt to the boiling water.  Cook the pasta as directed on the box until it is al dente.  Save the pasta until the clams are ready.  Rinse the clams and scrub the shells ensuring that there is no grit in the dish.  Slice the shallots, chorizo and garlic.  Add the butter and olive oil to a large pan and heat.  Add the chorizo to the pan and sauté.  Remove the chorizo from the pan but keep the oil.  Add the garlic and shallots and sauté until softened.  Add the chorizo back to the pan and add the clams and toss the clams in the sauce.  Add the red chili flakes, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the white wine to the pan and cover with a lid.  Cook the clams until they have opened in the pan, shake the pan at least once through the cooking process.  If there are any clams that do not open, throw them away.  Once the clams are cooked add the pasta to the pan and coat in the sauce.  Serve the pasta with freshly grated parmesan if you would like.  Taste the dish and add salt and pepper if needed.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did!