Spaghetti alle Vongole

Boil 180 g spaghetti in plenty of salted water until 1 minute short of the package time.

Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the starchy water so the sauce can be adjusted without becoming oily.

Slice 5 garlic cloves thinly and chop the parsley finely.

Check 500 g purged clams, discard broken shells, and drain off excess water so the pan does not cool too much when the clams go in.

Put 3 tbsp olive oil and the sliced garlic in a wide pan over low heat.

Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often, and stop when the garlic edges turn pale gold, not brown.

Add 0.5 tsp dried chili flakes and stir for only 20 seconds so they perfume the oil without burning.

Add the clams and 80 ml dry white wine, then raise the heat to high.

Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until most clams open and the wine smells less sharp.

Shake the pan once during cooking, then remove any clams that stay closed or have broken shells.

Add the spaghetti with 3-4 tbsp reserved pasta water and toss hard for about 1 minute, lowering the heat if it looks greasy.

When glossy, taste first, then finish with parsley, pepper, and a little salt only if needed.