Spaghetti alle Vongole Recipe

Ingredients

• 36 small clams in their shells
• 8 ounces (225 g) fresh ripe tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Small pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine
• Salt
• 1 pound (455 g) spaghetti

Directions

Wash & scrub the clams in several changes of cold water until you do not see any sand at the bottom of the bowl and the beards are removed. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice.

Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts (5.7 l) water, cover, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.

Put the olive oil, garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes in a skillet large enough to hold the clams and pasta later, and place over medium-high heat. Once the garlic begins to sizzle, add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the alcohol evaporates, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they begin to soften. Add the clams and cover the pan. Cook until all the clams have opened, 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t be concerned if some clams take longer to open; they are the freshest ones. When the clams open, remove the pan from the heat. Discard clams that don’t open. The sauce should have a thick, soupy consistency at this point.

Add about 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling pasta water, put in the spaghetti, and stir until all the strands are submerged. When the pasta is barely al dente, drain well, add to the pan with the sauce, and place over high heat. Cook for a minute or so until the pasta is done and has absorbed some of the sauce. Remove from the heat and serve at once.

Recipe from: How to Cook Italian by Giuliano Hazan

Yield: Makes enough for 4