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1
Put the clams to soak in a sinkful of cold water, while you heat the water for the pasta.
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2
When the water comes to the boil, add salt and then the spaghetti.
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3
Cook the spaghetti until nearly but not quite ready: youre going to give it a fractional amount more cooking with the clams and their winey juices so you need to leave room for absorption.
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4
Try and time this so that the pastas ready at the time you want to plunge it into the clams.
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5
Otherwise drain and douse with a few drops of olive oil.
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6
Mince, grate or finely slice the garlic and, in a pan with a lid into which you can fit the pasta later, fry it gently (it mustnt burn) in the olive oil and then crumble in the red chilli pepper flakes.
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7
Drain the clams, discarding those that remain open, and add the closed ones to the garlic pan.
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8
Pour over the wine or vermouth and cover.
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9
In 2 minutes, the clams should be open.
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10
Add the pasta, put the lid on again and swirl about.
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11
In another minute or so everything should have finished cooking and come together: the pasta will have cooked to the requisite tough tenderness and absorbed the salty, garlicky, winey clam juices, and be bound in a wonderful sea-syrup.
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12
But if the pasta needs more cooking, clamp on the lid and give it more time.
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13
Chuck out any clams that have failed to open.
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14
Add half the parsley, shake the pan to distribute evenly, and turn into a plate or bowl and sprinkle over the rest of the parsley.
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15
Cheese is not grated over any pasta with fish in it in Italy (nor indeed where garlic is the predominant ingredient, either) and the rule holds good.
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16
You need add nothing.
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17
Its perfect as it is.
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18
If perfection can be improved upon, however, the thing that will do it is a glass of icy cold and flinty white wine or an almost-freezing beer to be drunk alongside.
