Spaghetti with Oven Baked Clams

Ingredients

Clams:

• 40 littleneck clams, well scrubbed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 10 garlic cloves, smashed with the back of a knife
• 1/4 pound pancetta, small dice
• 2 dried red chiles
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes,(yellow and red), stemmed
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound spaghetti

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, scrub the clams with a stiff brush under cold running water and discard any that are open. Put a medium roasting pan over 2 burners.

Add the olive oil, garlic, pancetta, chiles, and herbs and cook until the pancetta renders, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the clams, the wine, tomatoes, and a good amount of pepper and toss that all together. Transfer pan to oven and roast until the clams open, about 10 minutes. While the clams are cooking, drop the pasta into the water for 7 to 8 minutes. Drain. Dump the drained pasta into a serving bowl, and toss with clams. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.