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1
Put half the olive oil in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to high.
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2
Add the clams and cook, shaking the skillet or stirring the clams occasionally, until the first few of them open, about 5 minutes.
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3
Add the garlic and, if youre using them, the hot pepper flakes, and cover for a minute.
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4
Uncover, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the clams are open, another 5 to 10 minutes.
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5
(Any that are not open at this point may be opened at the table with an ordinary butter knife or your fingers.)
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6
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, garnish with the parsley, and serve with the lemon wedges.
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7
In step 1, set a large pot of water to boil and add salt.
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8
While the clams are cooking, cook 1 pound pasta, preferably linguine, until it still has quite a bit of crunch (you must taste frequently once it begins to soften).
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9
When the clams are almost done, turn off the heat and cover the skillet.
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10
Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
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11
Add the pasta to the clams and cook, stirring, until the pasta is tender, adding the reserved cooking liquid if the mixture seems dry.
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12
Stir in the parsley, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve, omitting the lemon.
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13
Follow the preceding variation, but just before adding the pasta to the clams, add about 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (you can peel and seed them first if you have the time and energy).
