Pasta Vongole is all about choosing the best ingredients. There are few ingredients, few steps and a recipe that is made in no time. The secret is to choose the best olive oil, good garlic and finish up with just a little bit of butter. The butter is not typically for the classical Italian recipe. But when I use chili in my pasta vongole butter makes the magic.
Don't forget that the clams need to lie in salted water for approx. 1 - 2 hours before they are cooked, as this causes them to rise and get rid of what might otherwise make the dish a bit bitter and mushy.
Clams cooked in white wine, home-made tomatoes and fresh red chili peppers. Tasty Brain Foods own twist on the Italian Classic, Pasta Vongole.
Five ingredients and you have this amazing pasta dish that will be your new favourite.
I use salt and olive oil from Ibiza for the moment. It is ground coarse or fine, and has a clear, fruity saltiness, which is very discreet. For the salt mill or the pinch from the fingertips. The oil is obtained mechanically from the fruit of the olive tree. It has a green color and a medium to strong intensity. This fruity oil has light to medium bitterness and pungency on the palate.
Ingredients:
400 g pasta (I always use gluten-free, as I am gluten intolerant)
500 g clams
4 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 red chili
100 g cherry tomatoes
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 dl dry white wine
A bunch of fresh parsley leaves
Method:
Start by rinsing the mussels and place them in a large bowl filled with cold water. Salt well (remember that the water should be as salty as seawater). Let stand for at least 1 - 2 hours and then rinse the mussels thoroughly to remove any sand.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, preferably a minute or so shorter than indicated, so you don't get overcooked pasta when it is mixed with the sauce.
Place 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Finely chop the garlic, tomatoes and chilli and fry until the onion starts to soften.
Add the mussels to the pan and raise the heat slightly. Pour over the wine, cover and let cook for 2-3 minutes until they have opened. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
Remove the shells from about half of the mussels (so you don't end up with a pasta with only mussel shells) and then put them back in the pan with the remaining mussels and sauce.
Drain the pasta and pour into the pan together with the remaining butter and olive oil, mix well with the sauce and let stand for a minute. Finally mix in chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
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