4-6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Real Butter
1 onion coarsely chopped
5 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
1 - 14.5 oz. can of Hunts Diced Tomatoes w/ liquid
1 - 1 lb. 10 oz. Bottle Ragu Traditional Organic Sauce
¼ - ½ cup of dry red wine (preferably a $10-$12 bottle of Cotes du Rhone)
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
A handful of torn fresh basil
1 Teaspoon of fresh or dried oregano
1- 1 ½ Teaspoons crushed red pepper
½ Tablespoon Sea Salt
½ Tablespoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 – 6.5 oz. cans of chopped clams plus liquid
26 - 48 Littleneck clams, scrubbed
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter to pan.
Once butter is melted add onion. Cook onion for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until a little less than translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Watch color of garlic. Do not allow to brown and/or get bitter.
Stir in diced tomatoes and liquid. Add red wine, crushed red pepper, sea salt and black pepper. Bring to boil, then immediately add full jar of sauce and both cans of chopped clams with liquid. Stir to combine.
Begin boiling salted water for linguine.
Allow sauce mixture to heat up, then reduce heat and simmer mixture.
Add linguine to boiling salted water.
Wait a couple minutes and add littleneck clams to sauce in sauté pan. Cover sauté pan. Raise stovetop heat to somewhere around medium.
In 5-9 minutes, when clams are all opened, sauce and linguine will be done. Remove sauce from heat and stir in oregano, parsley and half the basil. Drain linguine.
Put linguine on plate and cover with sauce and cooked littlenecks.
Sprinkle fresh Parmesan over dish. Garnish with remaining basil.
Serve with remaining Cotes Du Rhone and crusty garlic bread. Enjoy.
