Spaghetti with Clam Sauce

Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ C extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 C glass jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and thinly sliced
½ t chili flakes, or to taste
½ t dried oregano
½ cup white wine, plus additional ¼ C, as directed
juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed (about ¼ C)
36 littleneck clams, scrubbed, rinsed, drained, open clams discarded
1 lb. rice spaghetti (I recommend Mrs. Leeper’s brand at Rainbow Grocery)
2 T fresh Italian Parsley

Directions

I came across Lidia Bastianich's recipe for Spaghetti with Clam Sauce (Spaghetti con Sugo Di Vongole), and with a few changes, came up with very delicious results. This dish is a real treat - not just if pasta and grains aren't an everyday affair for you - but because its rich, fabulous flavor is reminiscent of the kind of dish you'd find at a small trattoria in Rome. A good quality rice pasta like Mrs. Leeper's will go a long way when it comes to texture - you won't miss the gluten. A perfectly romantic dish that is well worth a little extra effort with the fresh clams.

Equipment: You will need two large bottomed pots, a pot for cooking the pasta, a large bowl for rinsing the clams, and a hand-held sieve lined with cheesecloth.

1. Put the scrubbed clams in a large bowl and rinse with 3-4 changes of water to remove sand. Set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir for one minute, until sizzling but not brown. Add artichokes and stir until they sizzle. Add chili flakes and oregano. Pour in wine and orange juice and heat to a boil then bring down to the lowest simmer and cover.
3. In a separate large-bottom pan, add enough filtered water to come up to about 1/2" up the sides of the pan and add 1/4 C of white wine. Raise the heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Add clams, spread evenly throughout the bottom of the pan and cover. Adjust heat to a steady simmer and cook just until the clam shells open, about 5 minutes. Remove clams from shells right as they open so the clams don't get tough; put in a separate small bowl. Some shells may take longer to open, so keep going until most of them open. Discard clams that don't open. Chop the cooked clams finely and set aside. Pour the cooking broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth to separate the sand from broth. Set broth aside.
4. Cook the pasta according to directions, but checking after 5 minutes, and periodically afterward, until it is done al dente. (Pasta will continue to cook - you don't want it to get mushy.) When done, rinse pasta with water, as rice pasta has an excessive amount of starch; place back in pot. Add a little clam broth to keep pasta from sticking.
5. Warm the bowls in a 200 degree oven. Meanwhile, bring artichoke sauce up to a rolling simmer. Add about 1/4 C of the clam broth and stir until incorporated. Bring to a low simmer and add chopped clams, half of the parsley, a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add pasta to the sauce. Stir until well incorporated, adding most of the rest of the parsley. Taste pasta for salt and pepper. Using tongs, lift pasta into warmed bowls and garnish the top with parsley. Serve immediately. Mangia bene!

To see the blog that corresponds to this recipe, click here.

Print