Mirella's Spaghetti alle Vongole
An Italian classic straight from a real Italian family - this wonderful, simple, delicious recipe comes from Jan Wong's book "Apron Strings" (Goose Lane). Reprinted with permission.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lbs fresh small clams
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic (2 flattened with knife blade; 1 finely minced)
- 1 pkg Knorr concentrated seafood gel (or substitute 1 bottle clam juice)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 lb imported Italian dried spaghetti
- 1 tbsp salt (for pasta water)
- 3 tbsp parsley (finely minced)
Instructions
- 1
Soak clams for several hours in salted water, changing the salt water three times, or until there's no more sediment, to release grit. Rinse well.
- 2
In a wok or pot big enough to hold the final dish, gently heat 1/4 cup of olive oil. Sauté the 2 flattened cloves of garlic until lightly golden. Remove garlic. (You can eat it later if you want.)
- 3
In the same wok, dissolve 1 small container of Knorr concentrated seafood gel into 1 cup of warm water. (If not available, use a small bottle of clam juice.) Add dry white wine. Bring to a rolling boil.
- 4
Add clams and bring back to a boil. After 10 minutes, turn off heat. These can wait while you're having your first course.
- 5
Boil a large pot of water for pasta. Add salt. Cook dried spaghetti (spaghettini and linguine are fine, too, but don't use fresh pasta). Bring clam sauce back to a rolling boil. When pasta is a minute shy of al dente, drain and add directly into wok of boiling clam sauce.
- 6
Bring back to a boil and toss. Cook for 20 seconds. Turn off heat. Mirella doesn't do this, but I add a clove of finely minced raw garlic. The heat of the sauce will modulate the garlic, but it will still taste garlicky. Splash on the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Toss well. Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve immediately - right out of the pot.