Pasta alle Vongole
Vongole is simple, so we make it easy.
by Erin Henderson
At the end of the day, pasta alle vongole is pretty straight forward: clams and pasta, of course, flavoured with olive oil, garlic, white wine, parsley, and a bit of chilli if you feel like it.
But it’s that simplicity, just like with cacio e pepe or carbonara, that can lead you astray.
Unless you have the Midas touch of a Michelin started chef, or the elusive know-how of a Nonna, relying on those simple ingredients can result in hollow flavours for the mere mortal home cook.
So, I’m not ashamed to admit I lean on a few all-star ingredients to give me that richly flavoured sauce I crave. One of my favourite secret ingredients, miso, loans a salty, umami fulsomeness to the sauce. And on the advice of The River Cafe, I add a little butter to the end. Owner Ruthie Rogers admits butter's bit unconventional, but if it’s good enough for one of the world’s best Italian restaurants, it’s good enough for me.
You may also like: Pantry Puttanesca
I also use pre-cooked and frozen clams for ease. It completely skips all the tedious repetition of soaking for sand and eliminates most guess work. But, as always, if the pre-cooked ones arrive with a few closed shells, I throw them out.
Finally, because I am just that extra, I remove most of the meat from the shells, only leaving about five in the shell per plate. It’s my issue, I know, but I can’t stand routing around in my dinner with my fingers to fuss about extracting a mollusk from its dainty shell. It’s a no-go for me. You may not be as ornery.
I fully accept the liberal and flagrant use of unorthodox ingredients may inspire some puritans to string me by my feet in the centre of the Coliseum... but you know my feelings about purists.
Pasta alle Vongole
I love this pasta on balmy summer nights. Fresh from the beach, or still wet from the pool, with a dress code of bathing suits and flip flops, there's a luxurious ease to simple pasta slurped in the setting sun.
Pasta alle vongole takes no time to prepare, so get everything you need prepped while the water for the pasta comes to a boil.
My pasta teacher drilled into our heads that, "the sauce always waits for the pasta; the pasta never waits for the sauce." But in this case, I do reverse it (don't tell Ema.) Clams can over-cook quickly and turn rubbery, so I start the sauce in the final 4-5 minute of the pasta cooking.
I know it seems fussy to make a butter sauce as opposed to plopping a knob of butter in at the end. I've tried that, but it results in a less-pleasing oily texture. The butter sauce does dirty an extra pot, apologies, but it takes one minute, and I think the results are worth the extra washing.
Makes: roughly enough for 2-4 servings (depending on appetite and what else is being served)
Chef level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Parsley stems and leaves, separated, stems minced, and leaves roughly chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, diced
- 1 small fresh hot pepper, sliced (alternatively hot pepper flakes)
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1 Tbsp white miso
- Clams, about 80% removed from shell, the remaining 20% in the shell for topping.
- 3 Tbs salted butter
- Lemon zest
How to Make It:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. When ready, add salt and the pasta.
- To a deep sauté pan, warm the olive oil and the add the garlic, chili, parsley stems. Cook quickly, stirring often, until just fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and melt the miso into the sauce.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly.
- Add the clam meat and stir through.
- Drain the pasta, reserving about 1½ cups of water, and add the noodles to the sauce, reducing the heat to the lowest setting and stirring through.
- In a small saucepan, simmer 2 Tbsp water. Add in the butter, a little at a time, constantly swirling the pan to emulsify into a thickish, glossy sauce.
- Pour the butter sauce into the pasta and add the parsley leaves and lemon zest. Stir through.
- Divide into bowls, topping each bowl with 4-5 clams in their shell.
Wine Pairing
I like a Vermentino from Italy. It's an inexpensive and underrated white wine from Italy, popularly planted in the south, but can also be found in Tuscany and Piedmont. Crisp and fresh, with notes bitter citrus peel, stone fruit and herbs, it's a lovely compliment to this pasta. The wine's lighter body supports, and doesn't overwhelm the light dish, its bright acidity elevates the rich clam meat and buttery sauce, and finally, Vermentino's flavour compliments and mirrors pasta alle vongole's flavours.