Spaghetti Alle Vongole

I love easy and tasty recipes.  People always ask me “so, do you cook at home?”.  I do, I love cooking at home, in fact I get a lot of joy cooking for myself.  I don’t have difficult customers or ungrateful people to deal with.  I can be free in my kitchen and with that freedom comes clarity.  I know exactly what I want, I can see how I can cook it and I prepare the dish with great ease because I get to play, I get to cook what ever “I” want.

I also get enjoyment cooking for my close friends, huge satisfaction actually. They’re honest with me, they tell me if it is “really good” or “it might need some work” but generally, good food and wine and even better company are the best ingredients to work with.

Photo by Jun Pang

I love this type of pasta where all you need is boiling water and a frying pan (I cook with a small wok, typical Asian, cook every thing in a wok!).  Very little chopping and very little finesse with knife work is needed.  I can cook this in 20 minutes flat and if you guys at home can’t complete this in 45 minutes, there is something seriously wrong!  Add vegetables like broccolini, perfect combination with this recipe.  Add prawns if you’d like.  Enjoy this with good parmesan cheese and sprinkling of dried chili flakes.  Have crusty bread near by to sop up all the wonderful juicy bits!

Photo by Jun Pang

Spaghetti Alle Vongole

Serves 2

500gr packet of Spaghetti

Olive Oil

5 cloves Garlic – finely chopped

4 Large Red Chilli – de-seeded and finely sliced

1kg Vongole

1 Cup White Wine

1 Bunch Parsley – finely chopped

Sea Salt

White Pepper

Method

1. Place about 5 liters of water on the boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt into the water
2. Add the pasta to the water and cook until aldente, with a little resistance when you bite into the pasta but with no crunch
3. Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat up a large frying pan with deep sides on high heat for about 2 minutes
4. Add the a splash of olive oil
5. Add the garlic and chilli and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute on high heat
6. Add the white wine, then place a lid on top of the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until the vongole opens up
7. Take the lid off, make sure the vongole has had enough time to open up, then strain the pasta and add it into the frying pan
8. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and toss the pasta though thoroughly.  Toss chopped parsley
9. Divide into 2 bowls and serve with chopped parsley

Photo by Jun Pang

Vongole – Italians call it “vongole”, Aussies call it “sand cockles” and the rest of the world call it a “clam”.  It is a bivalve mollusk, harvested on tidal flats.  They range in colour from light yellow through to light brown.  Unique flavour, light and sweet seafood flavours, like a sweeter, lighter flavour of mussels.

The vongole being steamed open

Toss the pasta through

Plate up