Bring a large dutch oven or pot with a lid to medium heat. Add in shallots and butter and cook for 3-5 minutes or until translucent and softened. Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper (optional, for added spiciness) and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add wine and cook for 3-5 minutes to reduce mixture.

Next, add in clams, gently stir, and cover for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare pasta and cook to instructions in well-salted water with olive oil, until just under al dente (it will finish cooking in the following steps). Reserve ½-1 cup pasta water and drain the remainder.  Set aside until clams are ready.

When clams are ready, remove lid and discard any clams that do not open up. Using tongs, remove and set aside cooked clams, then add drained pasta into pot with juices. Pour in reserved pasta water and sprinkle in cheese. Gently stir and simmer for 3-5 minutes to finish cooking pasta and merge the sauce. When ready, sauce will have thickened, and noodles will begin to stick to themselves. Add more pasta water if needed.

Transfer contents onto a serving platter or leave in pot, as is. Layer clams over pasta, then garnish with freshly cracked black pepper, chopped parsley, lemon wedges, toasted baguette slices, and extra cheese. Finally, finish with olive oil and serve immediately. Enjoy!