Spaghetti vongole

Serves 4

This has to be a contender for the best pasta dish ever.

Ingredients

• 1.2-1.5kg small clams, scrubbed
• Sea salt
• 400g dried spaghetti
• A good glug (about 50ml) of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1-2 small dried red chillies, roughly chopped, or ½-1 tsp crushed dried chilli
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (stalks chopped finely and kept separate)
• 200ml white wine (unoaked)

Method

1. Throw away any clams with broken shells and any that do not close when you give them a sharp tap. Rinse the clams in cold water and then submerge them in a large bowl of cold water. Add 1 tsp fine salt and mix with your hands until the salt dissolves. Leave for 1 hour to purge the clams of any grit or sand, then drain and rinse.
2. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt (it should taste like mild sea water).
3. At the same time, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the clams and cooked pasta that has a tight-fitting lid and add the garlic, chilli and chopped parsley stalks. Fry over a medium heat until the garlic starts to turn golden. Take off the heat and add a small splash of water (to stop the sauce cooking).
4. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time (so if the packet says 9 minutes, give it 7 minutes).
5. While the pasta is cooking, put the pan with the garlic and chilli back over a high heat. When it starts to sizzle, add the clams and stir, then add the white wine and put the lid on. Give the pan a firm shake to distribute the heat evenly and leave to cook for about 3 minutes until the clams are opened. Discard any that remain closed.
6. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
7. Add the pasta to the clams with half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water and the chopped parsley leaves. Stir over a medium heat for 30 seconds until the pasta is coated in the sauce. The pasta should be al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew) and the sauce should be loose and wet. If it’s too dry, add splashes of the reserved pasta water while stirring until you hit the sweet spot. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt if required.
8. Serve straight away, on a hot platter or individual plates.