Spaghetti con le Vongole (spaghetti with clam sauce)
This pasta dish is deliciously simple to prepare and may be varied by substituting mussels with oysters or scallops. Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup clam broth, fresh from the shelled clams or bottled
- 1 small wineglass dry white wine
- 1 litre water
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 500g spaghetti or linguine
- 30g soft butter or margarine
- 3 dozen small clams, shelled
- 30g finely chopped fresh parsley
- salt
- white pepper
Method
- In a heavy pan, heat the oil until a light haze forms over it. Stir in the garlic and cook over a moderate heat, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the clam broth and wine and boil briskly over a high heat until the foam disappears and the liquid has reduced to about ¾ cup.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Pour the water and salt into a large pot and bring to the boil over high heat. Drop in the spaghetti and boil for 7 to 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl along with the butter and toss.
- Bring the sauce in the pan to a boil over high heat and add the clams. Cook the clams, turning them constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour the clams and sauce over the spaghetti, sprinkle with parsley and toss together until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:31 am
This dish just sound so heavenly I love pasta, and this is just another dish that I can add to my collection and I just love that it has something to do with clams as these are not something that many people eat.