Spaghetti alle Vongole (Spaghetti with Clams)

Today I had so much supply of clams. My husband got them from his brother who brought the clams back from Nenasi. Nenasi is a fishing village in Pahang. I have never been to Nenasi, but I hope to make a trip there some day. Anyway, back to the extra supply of clams. He asked me what to do with them? I just smiled because I knew he expected me to make some Chinese style dish like what we normally had outside. To be honest, I have no idea making Chinese dish out of those clams, I must admit that I am still noob in cooking Chinese cuisine, especially seafood.

Without having to crack my head, I decided to make some Italian dishes with those clams. I used half of the clams to make clams oreganata and another half for spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clams. Today I am going to share the recipe for spaghetti with clams. The recipe I used is adapted from Jamie Oliver's, and I just adjusted it accordingly to my preferences. I guess it is an easy dish to make, spaghetti alle vongole in wine and garlic sauce. No hassle, cooking and cleaning at the same time, and it turned out very delicious.

Spaghetti with clams, more clams in the pan

Ingredients:

Spaghetti, enough for two portion

1 bowl of clams, soaked in salt water an hour prior and clean the shell

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion (optional), chopped

1 medium tomato (optional), seeds removed and chopped

A bunch of parsley, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1 dried chilli, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive oil

Preparation:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat a pan. Add olive oil into the pan, and then the onions and garlic.

3. Saute for a minute or two, then add the tomato, and dried chilli.

4. Stir constantly until the garlic starts to color. 

5. Then add the clams, and pour the wine in. Give a quick stir so everything mixed well.

6. Increase the heat to high. Cover the pan with a lid for about five minutes. The clams will open and removes their juices.

7. Once the clams have opened, remove the lid and give a quick stir. Turn off the heat.

8. By now, the spaghetti should be ready. Drain the spaghetti. 

9. Add the spaghetti and chopped parsley into the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and give them a good toss.

10. Serve immediately. Best eaten when it is hot!

Simple pasta with clams prepared with just these ingredients - clams, olive oil, garlic, parsley, chilli and some splash of white wine, yet simply delicious. I added onions, yes I love onions in my pasta! Good meal for dinner with easily available ingredients from the kitchen (except the clams of course!).