Spaghetti alle Vongole: the real Neapolitan version
I’d want to share with you an Italian recipe. It’s tradition for us, to celebrate the New Year with a ‘Spaghetti alle Vongole’ (Spaghetti with Clams) and surprisingly, I always let Gian preparing this dish because (I don’t exactly know why) I think he does them just perfectly!
Before looking at doses and procedures, I’d to give away some tips that would make the end result just perfect - as you may know by now, we really care about the quality of raw ingredients, first because they are essential if you want your creations to be really delicious, and secondly, because most of the time they are healthier.
With that in mind, to start, head to your favorite fishmonger and ask for fresh clams. Better if they are middle neck clams (if you by any chance you are in Italy, please look for Vongole Veraci).
Then, please do not bargain on the pasta. Believe it or not, the secret for a real true pasta is half made from the quality of the pasta itself. Go for Spaghetti or even better, bold spaghetti (Spaghettoni) if you find them - DeCecco is a brand we normally find even in UK supermarkets. Essential requirement: they must be bronze dies and not nylon dies one. The difference between the two, apart from the production methods, is that bronze dies pasta has the perfect texture and cooking resistance that we need for this kind of sauce. Look for the caption “Trafilati al Bronzo” on the packaging and you will be fine. The more they are floury the better.
Spaghettoni alle Vongole - Bold Spaghetti with Clams
ingredients for 4 people
1.5 kg of middle neck Clams
400g Spaghettoni di Gragnano Trafilati al Bronzo (bronze dies bold spaghetti)
1 glass of white wine
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of dry chopped chili peppers (if you like it a bit spicy)
a bunch of freshly chopped parsley
cooking salt to taste
7 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (it may sound a lot but this is what helps the clams and the pasta to combine perfectly)
freshly grounded black peppers to taste
1.
First of all, we need to clean the clams properly and we need a couple of hours to do so. Start by tapping each one on a cutting board and look for dark sand traces. If any, throw away the clam as it will probably be full of sand and will ruin our sauce. Remove also the broken ones.
2.
Once checked them all, put the clams in a colander and thoroughly wash them under cold running water. Put them in a large pot with a handful of cooking salt and cover with cold water. Leave them in there for at least 1 hour stirring frequently and changing the water a couple of times. Put the clams again in a colander and wash under running water one last time.
3.
In a large wok add 5 tablespoon of evo with 2 crushed cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon of dry chopped chili peppers and cook at medium heat for few minutes, having care not to burn the oil. Put the clams in the pot, raise the heat, stir and add ½ glass of white wine. Leave the wine to dry out completely, keeping stirring and then cover for few minutes until the clams are open. Turn off the heat. Take the clams out the sautè pan and keep them warm in a bowl covered with foil; with a tight mesh strainer filter the clams water, put it back in the sautè pan and turn on the heat.
4.
In large pot, put water and cooking salt to taste. When it boils, put the pasta with 1 teaspoon of evo (this is another secret that will prevent the spaghetti to stick one another) and stir frequently. Cook the spaghetti for only half of their cooking time, yes exactly, half of their time. Generally, bold spaghetti will cook for about 11/12 minutes in total, so count between 5-6 minutes (no more!).
5.
Move the spaghetti in the sautè pan, and finish to cook them directly with the clams adding a spoon of cooking pasta water. To be safe, don’t throw it away but keep it in the pot, or take out a couple of cups. With tongs, keep stirring the spaghetti until they absorb all the clams water becoming creamy until they are “al dente”. Cook them medium/high to cook the spaghetti properly! Cover the pan and let everything rest for 1 minute before serving.
Add fresh chopped parsley to taste and 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin oil (I suggest Italian one) before serving.