Spaghetti Vongole makes me think of sun-kissed afternoons driving through narrow, winding Amalfi roads and the salty scent of the Sea. The dish is fresh yet savoury with the fragrance of parsley and garlic and the umami savoury taste of the clams. This dish is such a favourite of mine when I am dining out in an Italian restaurant that when I made it for the first time at home, I was so surprised as to how easy it really was! The key is some gorgeous fresh clams and of course, fresh chili and parsley. As the recipe doesn’t call for many ingredients, it is important to make sure you have good quality versions (no dried parsley! It will still taste good but will make the dish lack just that bit of freshness!) I hope you enjoy this little recipe as much as I do!! Enjoy!!
INGREDIENTS:
- A handful of fresh Clams (We got ours from the local fishmonger and they sell bags of £13, which is more than enough for 4 portions)
- A pack of Spaghetti or Linguine
- 4 cloves of Garlic
- 1 Red Chilli Pepper
- A handful of Fresh Parsley
- A dash of White Wine
- Olive oil + Salt + Pepper
METHOD:
- First gently rinse your clams under cold fresh water, then set aside.
- Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta according to instructions but minus 2 minutes as you want a bit of extra cooking time at the end. Generously salt your pasta while it boils.
- While your pasta is cooking, roughly chop your garlic, chilli and parsley. Heat up a pan with a generous dash of olive oil and toss in your garlic and red chilli. Cook until fragrant and around this time I usually toss in a dash of White Wine, which prevents the garlic from burning. Burnt garlic adds a bitter undertone to your dish which you don’t want! Now toss in the parsley and your clams and a healthy glug of white wine into your pan before covering the sizzling dish with a lid.
- Allow your clams to cook for 3-6 minutes, you’ll know they are ready because they will open.
- Now check on your pasta and turn the heat off. Drain most of the water but leave a cup in the pot. I have a small frying pan so at this point I just tip the garlic clam mixture in my frying pan straight into the giant pot of starchy pasta water.
- Turn the heat up and allow the starchy water to emulsify and combine. Make sure to stir to combine the oil and water together. The starchy pasta water should emulsify to coat the pasta with a slightly glossy creamy texture.
- Finish by serving with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a glug of olive oil and you’re done!
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