The thing of it is Paul Newman and his pal and partner, A. E. Hotchner, really did bottle Newman's salad dressing in a basement as Christmas gifts to friends and family. They really did ignore all manner of sane, well-reasoned advice from food production experts, and went commercial on a $40,000 budget. And they really, truly have, in the course of 15 years
This is not your typical red clam sauce. You use freshly steamed clams here, served in their shells, in a light tomato sauce heady with garlic, that is pepper, too.
To crush garlic, use the same technique you do to peel it. First separate the cloves from the head. Put the flat side of a knife down on one garlic clove at a time and with your other had smack the knife right over the clove. This should split the garlic peel with one what. If it doesn't, try again. Remove the peels and use the cloves whole.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups of sauce - Serves 6
Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup capers, undrained
2 cups chopped parsley, plus 1/2 cup additional for garnish
2 cup chopped plum tomatoes
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pasta
1 pound linguine
Clams
30 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup vegetable broth or water
To make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan until hot. Add the garlic and capers, then carefully add the parsley. Stand back because the oil may spatter. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, wine, pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook according to the package directions until firm but tender.
While the pasta is cooking, steam the clams. Place the clams in another large pot with the garlic, wine, and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, shaking the pot, until all the shells are open. Leaving the open clams in the pot, drain off all but 1/4 cup of the steaming liquid and stir it into the tomato sauce. Cover the clams and keep warm while preparing the rest of the dish.
Drain the linguine and add to the tomato sauce. Cook over high heat for about 4 minutes to heat through.
Divide the pasta among 6 heated bowls. Top each serving with 5 clams and garnish with the remaining parsley.
