Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

Begin by heating a skillet over medium heat, adding a generous amount of olive oil to the pan. Next, add minced garlic and stir until it's fully incorporated with the oil; be careful not to burn the garlic as this can create an unpleasant flavor. Add capers, anchovy paste, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the skillet; continue stirring until these ingredients are well combined with the oil and flavors have melded together, approximately 5 minutes.

At this point, add a can of tomato sauce to the skillet; before pouring it in, rinse the jar with 1/4 cup of water and discard the remaining liquid. This step helps to prevent lumps from forming in the sauce.

Now, add a splash of wine and the juice from clams to the skillet; stir until these ingredients have combined with the sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and allow it to cook for 7-9 minutes, or until it has slightly thickened.

While the sauce is cooking, prepare a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook spaghetti in this boiling water, stirring occasionally until it's nearly tender yet still retains a bit of firmness to the bite. This should take about 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time on the package for al dente.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain it in a colander and return it to the pot. Add the clams that were reserved earlier; stir until they're fully incorporated with the spaghetti.

Pour the sauce over the spaghetti and stir to combine. Cover the pot and let it sit, off heat, for about 3 minutes; during this time, allow the spaghetti to absorb some of the flavorful sauce.

Finally, stir in some grated Parmesan cheese and top with chopped fresh basil or parsley.