Pasta con le Vongole (pasta with clams)

Pasta with clams, or as they say in Italia, pasta con le vongole, is a very popular dish throughout Italy and especially along the Amalfi Coast, the Campania region and Sicily. Here in America, we use little neck clams, as they are readily available along the Atlantic coastline. Little necks are small and sweet and remain tender when simmered in their natural broth. yum!

The sauce consists of simple ingredients such as; extra virgin olive oil, garlic, a splash of white wine, a few cherry tomatoes, fresh flat leaf parsley and the natural juice from the clams. For those who prefer a tomato based broth ..just add some fresh tomato sauce when sautéing the garlic and olive oil. That is it ….so simple to prepare and can be ready to eat in 30 minutes.

One more important tip: soak the clams in a pot of cold salted water for a few hours before cooking…soaking will pull out any excess sand inside their shells.

Here are some photos of the pasta con le vongole we enjoyed during our travels to the Amalfi Coast last fall! On the island of Capri, we enjoyed a sea-side lunch at the Al Capri Restorante. The pasta con le vongole was made with thin spaghetti and tossed in a light white wine sauce topped with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil. It tasted like the sea and was so very fresh and delicious.

The following day, we toured the amazing Marisa Cuomo Winery in Furore. While overlooking the Gulf of Salerno, we enjoyed a lovely lunch and wine tasting at a very beautiful family-run restaurant called Hosteria Di Bacco, The chef prepared her version of pasta con vongole with homemade herb pasta tossed in a lemony buttery sauce with the sweet scent of the sea…delicioso… We wish we could be there right now!

Here is my recipe for Pasta con le vongole.

Pasta Con le Vongole

• 1/2 lb homemade pasta or dry thin spaghetti
• 1 dozen fresh little neck clams or cockles
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly or minced
• a handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves (optional)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 lemon (optional) to squeeze on pasta before serving

• Soak the clams in a large pot of salted tap water for approximately one to two hours to rid the clams of excess sand. After soaking, drain the clams and and set aside.
• To prepare the clam sauce, heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, garlic and chopped tomatoes.. Sauté gently, for a few minutes reducing heat to avoid garlic from browning.
• Add white wine and clams, and cover pan with lid until clams open; about 3-4 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened.
• Add half of the chopped parsley and shake pan to distribute herb evenly among clams. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper if needed.
• In the meantime, boil water in a large pot for the pasta and add salt to the water.
• Add your favorite pasta to the boiling water and allow to cook till al dente (to the bite). Fork out the pasta and transfer to clam sauce…or drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
• Add drained pasta, and shake pan gently to allow the pasta to combine with the sauce.
• Transfer pasta and clams to a large platter. Sprinkle with remaining parsley or basil and lemon juice. Sprinkle pasta with extra virgin olive oil before serving. Buon Appetito!

Kathleen Barbato….3 Italian Sisters