Pasta with clam sauce, if you will.  Today’s lunch, and one of my most frequent meals over time.  Just a dozen of the smallest littleneck clams, a handful of pasta, olive oil, sliced garlic, a little Calabrian hot pepper, chopped parsley, and white wine.  The dish almost makes itself, although there is a little art in getting the clams to steam themselves open and finishing the pasta in the sauce without overcooking the clams.

The choice of wines can vary tremendously.  Today I chose what was open, a Paso Robles white wine with Rhône Valley grapes, a bit richer than I’d like, but still very good.