PITTSBURGH -- The best meals are also often the simplest meals made with just a handful of everyday, easy-to-find ingredients.

And if they're both fresh and local, even better.

The pasta with clams in white sauce that Steve Hoffman perfected while living with his family in the small village of Autignac, France, is a classic example.

As recounted in his new memoir, "A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France," every Friday he and his wife, Mary Jo, would trek to the promenade where the fisherman of Valras sold extremely fresh seafood in stalls. Though it was unfamiliar, he was adventurous and would pick whatever looked the most interesting or was recommended by the fishmongers.

While "fishy" fish like mackerel didn't go over well with his two kids, he could never go wrong with oysters or palourdes, the small, sweet clams harvested from the Etang de Thau, a salt-water lagoon along the Languedoc coast.

Cooked in a broth of white wine, parsley and piment d'espelette and tossed with sauteed shallots, garlic and pasta, "spaghetti and clams went from a once-a-year-delicacy to a heavily requested family staple," he writes.

"The kitchen had begun to feel like the center that held [his family] together, and I craved my nightly aproned shift."

Stuck in landlocked Pittsburgh, I had to "settle" for littleneck clams that arrive at Wholey's in the Strip District from pristine North Atlantic waters instead of the Mediterranean Sea. (Still great, and cheap!)

I mistakenly bought fettuccine, which is wider and thicker than linguini, the preferred pasta to pair with clams in white sauce. I also substituted a pinch of hot paprika for the piment d'espelette.

Start to finish, the dish took about 15 minutes to prepare if you don't count soaking time.

Cook's note: Be sure to scrub the shells really well with a brush to remove any dirt or debris before placing them in the salt water to soak. (This allows the clams to purge any sand), and rinse them again before cooking. I had to strain the liquid twice to remove the remaining black grit.

Pasta and Clams ã la Famille Hoffman

PG tested

4 pounds small clams (littleneck or Manila)

Sea salt

1 pound spaghetti or linguini

1 cup dry white wine

1 large or 2 small shallots, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon piment d'espelette

Make sure clams are closed and that no shells are cracked. Soak in salted water for 20-30 minutes, then drain.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water and follow the instructions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, add the white wine and clams to a saute pan or Dutch oven set over medium heat and cover. Check after 5 minutes, and if not all clams are open, keep checking every 2 minutes until all (or nearly all) clams are open.

Remove clams with a slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl. Toss any that have not opened.

Strain liquid (to remove grit), and set aside in a separate bowl. Taste and add salt to clam broth if necessary.

Sauté the shallot and garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. They should be fragrant but not browned.

Pour reserved clam broth into pot, and add pasta to reheat.

Add parsley, piment d'espelette and shelled clams. Toss to combine.

Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with 3-4 unshelled clams each.

Serves 4.

— Stephen Hoffman

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