Brasseria chef Giulio Rossi tells us how to make the classic Italian dish linguine alla vongole – perfect to get you through the January blues.
Linguine alla vongoles is the most well-known Italian fish-based dish in the world and one of the first courses Italian chefs learn to cook. It’s simple to make but like all simple things it needs care and attention to enhance the taste and flavor. When done properly, wherever you are when you eat it, you will feel like you’re at the seaside. Even better, it is a healthy dish without fat and with lots of proteins and mineral salts, meaning it won’t break your new year’s resolutions.
INGREDIENTS:
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 fresh red Birdseye chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 500g Clams
• 60ml White wine
• 350g Linguine pasta
• 50g Bottarga
• Parsley to taste
PREPARATION:
• To prepare the linguine with clams and bottarga, first carefully clean the clams. Rinse them thoroughly and place them in a bowl with water and salt. Wait half an hour then rinse them and beat them to remove any sand.
• Take a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large wide frying pan, add garlic, the fine chopped chilli, clams and wine. Cover the frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or just until clams have opened.
• Meanwhile cook pasta until it is half cooked (check the cooking time of the pasta on the package) drain it. Keep ½ a cup of cooking water. Add linguine to the frying pan and add the cooking water to the clam mixture, toss for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
• Finish cooking and add the grated bottarga. Add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chopped parsley and stir well the linguine.
• Serve in individual bowls topped with some of the grated bottarga and chopped parsley.
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