“Vongole is one of the popular pasta dishes.”
Yes, pasta is one of our staples at home. We all loved pasta, of all kinds. Yet to find out the best pasta brand, I used dried pastas which were easily available in the market, most of the time. I preferred organic pasta, if given a choice.
Clams, are also my favorite seafood. I personally thought clams are versatile and easy to handle. Minimal condiments would be needed to bring out its full flavor. So, cooking pasta with clams is no weirdo to many people. It simply is a brilliant idea as the pasta would just soak up the natural taste of the clams, making every strand of noodle taste extra flavorful.
Ingredients to be used in this recipe are simple and easily available in major supermarkets and wet markets. I, too, considered the cooking method at entry level with just some details to note. So, who says we can’t serve restaurant dishes at home! :)
Serves 4
Ingredients
1kg of clams, scrubbed and rinsed
300g of linguine pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 chili padi, chopped
1 cup pasta water
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of coarsely grounded black pepper
Method:
(1) Boil a pot of water over medium heat. When boiled, place in linguine pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta-cooking water for later. Drain the rest and set pasta aside.
(2) Heat large deep pan with olive oil and butter over medium-low fire. Lightly brown chopped garlic and chili padi. Add clams, drizzle white wine and 1/2 of the pasta water. Lightly stir to combine and let the ingredients simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until the clam shells merely open up.
(3) Return and add linguine pasta to the pan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of pasta water. Cover pan with lid and bring all ingredients to a light boil, for about 1-2 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle salt and pepper. Stir fry to combine. Heat off and dish out to serve immediately.
A serving of vongole counts about 480kcal.
Tips: Chili padi aka bird’s eye chili. You may also use chili flakes (add it only upon adding salt and pepper). It’s optional, if non-spicy preferred.
* For better plating, garnish your pasta with chopped parsley or mixed herbs.
* Do not wait till the clams fully opened before the return of pasta as we need to further cook them for another 1-2 minutes.
* Same goes to the pasta boiling. Instead of full 8 minutes of boiling, mere 6-7 minutes should be long enough to reach harder than al dente consistency in order to get perfectly cooked noodles later.
* The amount of (300g) pasta for 4? The circle of your index finger and thumb (OK sign) should be enough to serve 2 with large portions. So, x2 for 4 servings.
* Use of any white wine will do.