Whenever I go to The Old Spaghetti Factory, this is one of my favorite sauces. I also love their Mizithra Cheese mixed with it. More than likely, this is not the actual recipe, but sure tastes like it. One of the best clam recipes to get your hands on.

Ingredients:

* 3 ounces butter

* 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

* 1/2 onion, chopped fine

* 3 stalks celery, chopped fine

* 3 tablespoons flour

* 2 (8 ounce) cans chopped clams, with juice

* 1 quart half-and-half

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

* 1/2 teaspoon thyme

Preparation:

1. Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan.

2. Sauté over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender but not brown.

3. Add flour and mix to make a roux.*

4. In another saucepan, combine the juice from the clams, half and half, salt, white pepper, and thyme; heat until just below boiling.

5. Add the half and half mixture and the clam meat to the roux.

6. Stir until the sauce thickens.

7. Serve over your favorite buttered spaghetti noodles with generous portions of Parmesan cheese.

If you don't know, a roux is a mixture of butter and flour, cooked until bubbly. It can be browned very deeply, then used as the basis for etouffe and brown sauce. If not browned at all, it is the base of bechamel, veloute, or white sauce. By cooking the flour in the butter, the starch granulesin the flour begin to break. Then when liquid is added, the granules absorb the liquid, thickening the sauce.

Pronunciation: roo • (noun)

Examples: Begin the white sauce by making a roux, stirring and cooking until the mixture has bubbled for two minutes.

Enjoy!