Linguine alle Vongole (Linguine with Clams)

This is one of my favorites. And oh my goodness is it fast. Ideally, you'd make this with real, shelled clams. But the cans work well enough. I probably make this differently every time I do it. Here's how I did it this time. 3/4 lb linguine 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 can minced clams 1 can chopped clams Up to 1/4 cup olive oil (1 tbsp butter, optional) Splash of white wine (nice if you have it) Pinch of black pepper (optional) Pinch of salt (optional) Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) Pinch of parsley This is so fast, you don't even need to start the sauce until you've started cooking the pasta. So, bring your water (lightly salted, drop of olive oil) to a boil, add your pasta, and start your sauce: Pour olive oil into a large saucepan. How much? Well, it makes up a decent portion of your sauce. A few pours; around a 1/4 cup, probably. Let that heat up over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and turn down the heat a little. Let the garlic flavor the oil a bit (don't let it burn), then add the juice from the two cans of clams. Let that cook together for a couple of minutes. Add the pinch of black and red pepper (Joef says, "Much more than a pinch!"), along with the parsley and the salt. You can turn the heat down and just let the flavors cook together a bit. When the pasta is about 2-3 minutes from done, add the clams with a splash of wine and cook them into the sauce on medium or medium-high heat, letting the alcohol cook off. Drain the pasta, add it directly to the pan and coat with sauce. Serve with parsley as garnish.