Victory In The Surf! Plus A Victory Dinner. Linguine With White Clam Sauce (Linguine Alle Vongole).

Breakthrough! The other day was, most definitely, my best surf day ever. I had waited all week for conditions that looked like my sweet spot, but a problem arose: I couldn't make my preferred mid-tide. Still, it was close enough that I figured I'd go for it. And I'm so glad I did. This is definitely one of those stories about sticking with something, even if you're sucking at it, even if it seems like you may never see the light at the end of the tunnel. This has often seemed the case in my surf life. But I ended up having unqualified success, choosing waves, paddling into them, and getting up and getting rides. I don't know why everything came together. But I am still so stoked it did. Now if I can just duplicate it every time.

So on to a celebratory dinner, which you can see here:

Yes, linguine with white clam sauce. I figured since the sea was nice to me on this session, it would be cool if the sea helped provide dinner. Or, under the sea really, because you have to dig for clams, but still clams always remind me of the ocean, with their briny taste and smell. And when I stopped in at McCalls Meat and Fish on the way home, there were the beautiful Littlenecks you see below, along with a few other things you need for this recipe.

This is a super simple dinner to make. The recipe is adapted from Lidia Bastianich's excellent cookbook, Lidia's Italy In America. If you love Italian-American food like we do, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You will cook from it frequently.

Linguine With White Clam Sauce
Recipe adapted from Lidia Bastianich
(serves 4 big eaters or 6 small ones)

6 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
36 Littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 tsp. peperoncino
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 pound linguine
3/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese* (see note below)

1. Add 1 tbsp. kosher salt to a large pot of water and bring to boil. In a large skillet heat 4 tbsps. of the olive oil over medium heat. Toss in sliced garlic, and when it starts to sizzle add in the anchovies. Stir until anchovies dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano and peperoncino.
2. Lower the clams into the skillet, along with about 2 cups water from the pasta pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes. As they open, remove the clams to a bowl. (if any clams don't open after five minutes, toss them).
3. When all clams are done, increase heat to high. Add 1/2 cup of the parsley. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Meanwhile shuck the clams, reserving any juice and adding it to the skillet. Set the sauce and clams aside.
4. Cook linguine until al dente. When it's nearly done, bring sauce back to simmer. Add the pasta to the sauce, and drizzle with remaining 2 tbsps. olive oil. Cook and toss until the pasta is coated with sauce. Add the shucked clams, and remaining parsley. Cook a minute more to blend the flavors and serve.

*cheese note! It's a real no-no in Italy to have cheese on a pasta that has seafood. However, we like cheese on ours. So it's up to you. If you like cheese, pour it on! Just don't do it if you find yourself in Rome.

For the best seafood in LA: www.mccallsmeatandfish.com

For all things Lidia: www.lidiasitaly.com