easy alfredo with clams

alright, i admit the clams are optional. if you leave out the clams, cut down on the flour and you'll be set. there are probably a dozen ways to make alfredo sauce, and not being formally trained or even a little bit italian, i'm no authority. i know what goes over well here at the cottage, and i know some of the traditional elements though so i think i can safely call this 'alfredo' and get away with it. this recipe is like any of my others, largely it's appeal is that with minimal forethought you can slap it on the table at the end of a busy day in short order. providing you have a can of chopped clams handy. if you'd prefer you can use the minced clams, or the whole baby clams, personally i go for what's cheapest. hey, it's canned clams, alright? so, about 1 table spoon of butter goes into a tiny sauce pan over medium heat, one package of fettuccine goes into boiling water. once the butter is melted add two diced cloves of garlic. i'll say the magic word: please. please do not use a garlic press (aka garlic obliterater) just smash the cloves with the flat of your knife and dice them up. agreed? good. when the garlic is light brown add a sprinkle of flour and stir it in. we're not making an honest to goodness roux here, we're just making up for the fact that we're going to use whole milk instead of cream. not that we're on a diet, but the idea is that you can make this if you add one can of clams to your pantry list and we don't all keep cream lying around all the time. so, once the flour is incorporated add your clams, juice included, stirring until you see the juice thicken up. add a couple of grinds of black pepper. now add your milk. probably around 2/3s of a cup, but just look at it and add a bit at a time. don't worry it'll thicken up too. let this come to a simmer, then add oh, 3 table spoons of grated parmesan cheese. stir it in thoroughly so that there are no lumps. if you have dried parsley now is the time to throw it in, if you don't oh well. the pasta is probably done by now, drain it well and put it in a big serving bowl. having a pasta bowl is worth it, it should be wide and fairly shallow. you want to be able to toss pasta in it so make sure it's sizable. when your sauce looks about as thick as gravy pour it over the noodles. if it's a little thin, it's really okay. now if you have fresh parsley sprinkle it on, if you don't, again, oh well. sprinkle on a liberal amount of the grated cheese, some cracked black pepper, and a touch of nutmeg. you may also squeeze some fresh lemon juice on if you wish. it's a nice touch but not worth trying to fake it with concentrate, handy as concentrate may be. toss it all together, if the sauce is still on the thin side do the impossible: wait. just wait. maybe for 3 minutes. perhaps add some more cheese. toss again. the starch from the pasta will thicken it up. if you'll glance up you'll note i said nothing about rinsing your pasta. i'm not sure where this fad came from, but if it's a habit you have, kick it. the residual starch on your pasta helps the sauce stick. and in the case of alfredo or just clam sauce it actually finishes the sauce in the serving bowl. so, after the final toss you can get fancy with yourself and crack a little more pepper on it, or garnish however you wish, and enjoy!