8 & $20: An elegant clam pasta with an Italian white

You can take the shells off the clams before you toss the pasta in the sauce if you like, but the shells also make a pretty presentation.

Eight ingredients. That's all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you've got a weeknight feast for family or friends. That's the philosophy behind our new feature, "8 & $20." We hope it adds pleasure to your table.

My grandfather has been known to tell a very punny joke concerning the afterlife of shellfish that ends with the punchline “and then I left my harp in Sam Clam’s Disco.” (Hint: it helps if you’re also a Tony Bennett fan …) As a matter of conditioning then, every time I cook clams, the tale of a certain bivalve’s nightclub comes to mind. I noticed something else funny when I was noodling around with this dish the other night: I’m only slightly exaggerating when I say that you can get this meal together in the amount of time it takes to tell that joke (and listen to the groans in response)—it’s really fast and easy.

In general, Italian-inspired dishes are a good go-to if you want simplicity but a lot of flavor. This dish is a perfect example: Pasta is tossed in a quick garlic sauce made from olive oil, wine and clams. Parsley adds a dash of brightness and red pepper a touch of heat. A side of slightly charred radicchio rounds out the meal. Radicchio can be a challenge for pairings when raw, but high-heat roasting brings out a sweet smokiness that’s much more wine-friendly.

Keeping the flavors streamlined also helps with wine pairing. The briny sauce points to a white with some minerality, acidity and citrus notes. A white from Italy makes intuitive and thematic sense—we liked one we tried from Sicily. It provided a nice lift to the pasta but could also stand up to the heat. But you can look outside of Italy for options too. A citrusy Spanish white from Ribeiro worked nicely as well.