Melissa Gorga Heats Up the Kitchen

How's this for holiday cheer? The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Melissa Gorga served up some high praise for sister-in-law Teresa Giudice recently, telling People magazine, "I am a good cook, but nothing compares to my sister. She is a pro. She sometimes teaches me her secret recipes."

Melissa's in the recipe sharing mood as well, revealing her Linguine alla Vongole recipe to the mag. Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. linguine
¼ cup water
6 garlic cloves, crushed
6 red dried chili peppers, less or more according to how spicy you like it
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup white wine
2 tbsp. chopped, fresh leaf parsley
3 lbs. little neck hard shell clams
pinch of salt

"Clean the clams well and place them in a large pot, covering them with water and placing the lid on pot while heating at medium high until clams burst open," Melissa says. "Remove the clams as they open and pit them into a separate bowl. Clams that don't open should be trashed. Scrape the clams and the juices from the shells and put them in a separate bowl."

Give the clams another rinse to make sure they aren't sandy. Then, "Pour all of the liquid from the pot into the bowl with the juices and pass all the remaining liquids through a strainer."

When do you add the parsley, chili peppers, salt, and white wine? Head over to People for the next steps in Melissa's recipe.

Want other ideas for your holiday table? Check out our Recipe Finder.