SPAGHETTI WITH OVEN BAKED CLAMS!!! AMAZING COOKING

This recipe is courtesy of Tyler Florence, and all I can say is... THANK YOU TYLER! I knew this was going to be good the first time I saw him make it. I love how rustic it's made. Every thing's made in a huge roasting pan, the kind you'd make a turkey in. It fits 5 lbs. of clams and a pound of pasta, and everything else just fine! Plenty of room for the clams to open up and spread out!

My trip to Costco on Saturday really convinced me into making this dish. They happen to have the best littleneck clams there, flown in fresh every week from the North Atlantic ocean, and fresh they were!

RECIPE

40 littleneck clams ( 5 lbs.)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

10 garlic clove, smashed with the back of a knife ( Yes 10!!!)

1/4 lb. pancetta, small dice

Handful of fresh basil

Red pepper flakes

1/4 cup of white wine (I used more)

2 pints of cherry tomatoes ( I bought the big container from Costco)

Lots of fresh ground pepper

1 lb. spaghetti

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. ( I raised it to 425)

Make sure clams are cleaned and discard any that are open. In the meantime get your water boiling for your spaghetti.

On top of stove put your roasting pan over 2 burners. Add oil, garlic, pancetta, red pepper, cook till pancetta renders. Add the clams, wine, tomatoes, and a good amount of pepper and toss all together. Transfer pan into the oven and roast till clams open up. The recipe said about 10 min. but it took mine about 1/2 hr. or so, maybe because of the size of the clams. The key is wait till they open!

When clams do open, throw your cooked pasta right into the same roasting pan to soak up all the good juices and intense flavors. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, lots of pepper, and an extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Make sure you have some good crusty bread to soak up the juices too. I highly recommend this! You will not be disappointed!

Buon Appetito!