Spaghetti Vongole

One of my favorite foods in summer is seafood.  In small part because I like to eat a bit lighter on these hot days, but mostly because it makes me think of the beach & the ocean, and I love being by the water.  Wouldn't it be nice it we could take a little break from work and spend the summer by the ocean....ahh, that would be the life.  Maybe next summer.

While I may not be spending my summer jumping in waves, riding bikes by the beach or lounging in a hammock, I have been having a great summer, cooking up a storm here in the city!  This past weekend was the Serious Eats All-Star Sandwich Festival on Governors Island.  If you didn't go, I'm sorry to say you really missed out!  The Serious Eats team put together a stellar event, which I have a feeling will go down as my favorite 2011 food festival.  I had a total blast and spent the day working with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt cooking up his famous sliders.  See....here's me down below...

From Serious Eats

Words cannot possible describe the level of awesome these sliders bring to the table.  I think when all was said and done we served up about 800 sliders.  My only regret of the day is that I couldn't fit more food in my stomach. 

Would you think I was pulling your leg if I told you, you could make this in under 30 minutes?  I'm not.  And, you can.  It requires a little but of multitasking, but in 20-30 minutes you can have yourself a lovely plate of spaghetti with clams in a smooth buttery white wine sauce.

A little tip for you when it comes to clams....if any of your clams have broken or cracked shells it's best to not use them, and just toss them in the trash to be on the safe side.  You might also encounter clams that don't open when you cook them.  This happens because the clams are already dead, and you don't want to eat these guys either.  When I buy clams I usually get a couple extra just in case there are a few duds in the bunch.

Print Recipe

Spaghetti Vongole

1/2 pound spaghetti

5 tablespoons butter, divided

1 shallot, finely minced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 dozen clams

3/4 cup white wine
1/2 - 3/4 cup reserved pasta water

salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti.  Stir frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking together (no one likes clumpy spaghetti).  Cook pasta until it's slightly under-done.  Drain & reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.

While the water works its way to a boil, heat a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan and sweat shallots, about 1-2 minutes.  You want the shallots to be translucent, without obtaining any color.  Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the clams to the pan.  Shake the pan lightly to move clams around, and eventually flip them over after a couple minutes.  When the clams start to open (about hlafway) add red pepper flakes and season with salt & pepper, and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add wine, and cook until wine reduces by almost half.  Add reserved pasta water, starting with about 1/2 cup, and adding more is necessary

If the clams fully open before the pasta is cooked, remove them from the pan & set aside until the pasta is done, while continuing to let the sauce cook & reduce.  

Add pasta to the pan, and use tongs to toss all ingredients. If you removed the clams from the pan, back them back in.  Add remaining butter to the pan, and let the sauce reduce slightly.

To serve, top pasta with chopped fresh parsley.

Enjoy!