Recipe: Spaghetti with Clams Sauce

This dish is very simple and it is one of those I call "Food Cupboard Recipe". It takes the time to boil the pasta for the sauce to be ready, so it is something very nutritious and cooked from scratch even after a day at work. The secret here is to find a jar of clams which is tasty. I've tried quite a few brands but they were always quite bitter or " vinegary". Finally I've found the " Sugo di Vongolotte" by L'Isola d'Oro that you can buy online at Fratelli Camisa and I've stock them for future  dishes.

As you can see there are not many ingredients but all of high quality. Square Wholewheat Spaghetti by La Molisana, tinned organic Cherry Tomatoes by Pancrazio, Extra Virgin Olive Oil "The Emperor" by Bono, the great Vongolotte Clams in jar by L'Isola d'Oro, garlic and chilli.

While I've put plenty of water with rock salt to boil, I've started to prepare the sauce by heating up some Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a wok with a couple of garlic cloves and chilli. Here you just put as much or as little chilli you want, it is up to you.

Drain the clams from their liquid, but remember that it is not brine so the taste is real,they have already been cooked. The liquid is made  of water, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and parsley. They could be used even straight from the jar if you don't want to use tomatoes.

When the garlic starts to be a bit brown add the cherry tomatoes and with a fork  squeeze them gently so that they will still retain part of the shape but at the same time they will release their liquid.

Just a couple of minute before you think that the sauce is ready, add the clams. Don't put them earlier because being already cooked, if they are in the pan for long they would become rubbery. Mix evenly so that they are completely coated in the sauce.

Mix with a wooden spoon and then, if the  pasta is not ready yet switch off the flame.

When the water start boiling put the spaghetti cooking them as instructed on the pack. Please, don't break spaghetti in a half . It is a big no no.

Once the spaghetti are " al dente", let's say a minute before they are " al dente" drain them and put them in the wok with the sauce. Generally when I drain the pasta I transfer the wok on the flame left on from the pasta pan. The time you spend draining the pasta gives time to heat up the sauce. Mix evenly so that the spaghetti are completely coated with the sauce.

Pasta is ready. If you have some parsley garnish the spaghetti. I cooked this dish after coming back from work so not always I've got fresh ingredients at hand. Parsley is however present in the clams, so the flavour is there. www.lisoladoro.it