Spaghetti e vongole (spaghetti with clams)

This is so easy to make - serve it as soon as it's cooked, as pasta can't wait!

Credit: Wok Vs Pot with Marion and Silvia

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 350 g (¾ packet) of spaghettini or linguine
• about 4 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli (or half, according to what heat intensity you prefer)
• about ⅓ cup parsley (leaves and the tender bits of the stalks) 
• about ⅓ cup good quality dry white wine
• 1 kg vongole (clams)
• handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• chopped parsley leaves, to serve

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to the boil.

2. Drop spaghetti or linguine in the pot, stir through so it doesn’t get stuck to the bottom and let it bubble away for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. While the pasta is boiling, put a large frying pan on the stove with a little extra virgin olive oil. Heat it up and drop in garlic, chilli and parsley mix and let sizzle for about 15 seconds, then add a good splash of white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly, keeping in mind that vongole will add their sapid kick to the dish.

4. Drop the vongole and cherry tomatoes in, cover with a lid. They will take about 2 to 3 minutes to open up and release their beautiful juices. As soon as they opened, lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside in a strainer over a bowl, so you keep any juice that drains off them.

5. Drop your partly cooked pasta in the frying pan with the cherry tomato and parsley mix, adding any drained clam juice and some of the pasta cooking water – just enough so the spaghetti can finish cooking until al dente and the sauce is creamy in texture.

6. Turn off the heat and add your cooked vongole, chopped parsley leaves and extra chilli, if you like it. Serve immediately!

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.