This is one of my all time favourite pasta recipes that can be cooked in roughly 15 minutes. My husband and I got married in Capri and while we were there we ate this gorgeous dish so many times. Some people cook it with fresh tomatoes (which I love too) but I thought I’d keep it with chilli, garlic, parsley and white wine. Clams are relatively inexpensive and this recipe doesn’t require too many ingredients. I had everything in my store cupboard and enough wine in the fridge. All I had to do was buy the clams. You may think that this isn’t a family friendly recipe, but interestingly kids enjoy eating clams and mussels as it’s good fun and messy!
The recipe
Spaghetti Alle Vongole
- Serves 4
Ingredients
Method
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until the garlic is soft but with no colour. Add the cleaned clams to the pan along with the wine. Cover and cook over a fairly high heat for 2-3 minutes until the clams have opened. Remove from the heat, then pick out and discard any clams that haven’t opened.
Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan with the clams, stirring gently to combine. Add the chopped parsley and drizzle over a little olive oil if it looks too dry. Season and serve immediately.
Top tip....
To remove any grit from your clams, soak them in very cold salted water (it should taste as salty as the sea when you lick your finger) for 30-40 minutes before rinsing and cooking. Before cooking, discard any broken clams or clams that remain open when gently tapped.
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Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until the garlic is soft but with no colour. Add the cleaned clams to the pan along with the wine. Cover and cook over a fairly high heat for 2-3 minutes until the clams have opened. Remove from the heat, then pick out and discard any clams that haven’t opened.
Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan with the clams, stirring gently to combine. Add the chopped parsley and drizzle over a little olive oil if it looks too dry. Season and serve immediately.