Patricia's Clams

I've been dating John Paul for close to five years now, and my taste buds have been incredibly happy throughout our relationship. (The rest of me has been, too!) Thanks to his insistence, I eat tons of foods I used to be too picky to even try out, and have no problems experimenting in the kitchen with new tastes. My love of clams, though, has been thoroughly developed because of his mother, Patricia. No matter what she cooks, it looks effortless and perfectly prepared. A lot of what she cooks depends on seasonal, fresh ingredients, rather than long preparation steps; as a result, each ingredient stands out on its own, and it's easy to pick out the distinct taste of the dish.
On our trip down this week, I was determined to find out how she makes these clams that I adore so. Patricia graciously agreed to cook with me, and let me put this recipe up so everyone else can enjoy this wonderful, hands-on meal. The clams are easy enough, and contain eight ingredients. I wish I could recreate the intimate kitchen experience of cooking with Patricia, who peppers her cooking conversation with bits of wisdom such as, "Make the water really, really hot, because you don't want the clams to suffer while they cook," and cuts her herbs with regular office scissors in a glass (picture below). The end result is clams in a light broth, with a briny, mouthwatering taste that is perfect for nights on the water. Serve with bread to sop up the broth; it will make the meal last longer!
Now, a few pointers. We made about 100 clams, which should feed 6-8 people. Clearly, adjust the proportions if you're feeding less or serving with side dishes. Don't add more salt to the sauce as you're heating it, as the water you're using for the broth will have tons already. Finally, we used clams that had been farmed, so they had a lot of sand in them. To rinse, follow the first instruction listed. If using saltwater clams, you should only have to rinse them with fresh water.

Patricia's Clams
100 clams (see notes above)
2 garlic cloves
1 yellow onion
1 c. fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Sunflower, vegetable or olive oil
Salt
White flour
White wine

1. To prepare clams: Fill a large bowl with 1 heaping Tbsp. salt, water and clams. Let sit for 2 hours, then drain. Fill same large bowl with water and clams, and let sit for 2 hours.
2. In a large skillet you don't mind getting scratched up (the clams will leave their mark, and you'll be using a spoon to get them out), put 2-3 inches of water and heat over high. Add clams in a single layer and wait for them to pop open. They'll take anywhere from 4-10 minutes, depending on the freshness and heat of the water. Just take them out as they open and place in a bowl, refilling with unopened clams. Repeat until all clams are open.
3. To make sauce, puree onion and garlic together. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large skillet, and add the puree. Once the oil has been absorbed, add 1 wooden spoonful of flour to skillet and stir until golden brown and smooth. Add 1/2 c. white wine and cook until alcohol has burned off, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and continue cooking after clams have all opened.
4. Once the clams have all opened, slowly add the water you cooked them in to the flour mixture, stirring constantly. After all ingredients have been incorporated, add parsley.
5. Put clams into broth just long enough to heat up (you don't want the clams to come out rubbery and tough). Serve and enjoy!