Amanda's linguine vongole
Sweet clams & white wine
15 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 2
About the recipe
During a fantastic post-graduation summer in Milan, where Amanda set off (portfolio in hand) to find a job in the fashion industry, she and her friends fell in love with the food they discovered. A firm favourite – and something Amanda hasn’t quite managed to recreate since – was the bold and beautiful clam pasta. It’s an absolute belter of a dish, and much simpler to make than you might think. It’s a real celebration of the juice and flavour of clams, and once you know how, it’s a brilliantly quick and easy dish that’ll hit the spot on the flavour front, every time. I hope this recipe will help Amanda capture and bottle the fun of her youth.
Ingredients
150g dried linguine
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
500g clams, scrubbed, from sustainable sources
olive oil
1 pinch of dried red chilli flakes
125ml dry white wine
extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic, then pick and finely chop the parsley (stalks and all).
- Sort through the clams, giving any that aren’t tightly closed a tap. If they don’t close, throw them away.
- When the pasta has 5 minutes to go, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat, add the garlic and chilli flakes, and fry for 1 minute, or until lightly golden.
- Throw in the clams, give the pan a good a shake, then after 30 seconds add the wine and pop the lid on.
- After 3 or 4 minutes, the clams will start to open – keep shaking the pan until they’ve all opened, then remove from the heat, and discard any clams that remain closed.
- Using tongs, drag the pasta straight into the pan of clams, then simmer for a minute or two in all the delicious juices.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, then add the parsley and good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and toss together. Delicious served with a glass of chilled white wine.
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