n a sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté the fennel and the garlic until the fennel is soft. Add manila clams and deglaze with white wine.

Add Fumet or stock. Cover the pan with a lid.

Once the clams open, turn off the heat and discard all but a handful of the clam shells.

Drop the pasta into seasoned boiling water, cook according to directions, until it is al dente.

Just before the pasta is done, turn clam sauce back on medium-high heat (no lid).

Drain the pasta and add it and the, neonata, black pepper and leeks to the clams sauce. Turn the heat to high.

Drizzle ¼ cup olive oil into the sauce and emulsify, by flipping the pasta in the pan or stirring gently with tongs. The water, starch and oil will come together to form a homogenous sauce. The finished product should be moist, but not watery.

Add the chopped herbs.

Add fresh lemon to taste, and season with a final dose of salt and pepper. Plate in a warm bowl and pour the remaining clams and sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining parsley and finish with a tablespoon of your best olive oil.