Saturday, Spaghetti with clams

And because on 25th October was World Pasta Day, today we’ll celebrate it with these delicious spaghetti.

Spaghetti with clams are one of my favourite dishes. And if I think that some years ago I even did not eat clams or seafood.

In our family, in Romania, where I was born, seafood was not a very popular dish. My mom used to cook fish but most of the time only river fish which my dad used to bring home. When I was little she used to clean it for me but when I was older I needed to do it myself and I hated it because everybody used to finish eating and I was still there trying to pull out the pin bones from my fish….

Moving to Italy and with my husband’s love for fish and seafood, slowly, slowly, I’ve started trying all kind of fish and seafood. With the Italian simple way of cooking it, soon I’ve become a fish and seafood lover.

Spaghetti with clams is a very easy, fast and very tasty pasta.

I usually buy the frozen clams which are already cleaned and cooked. Just simple add a good quality of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, 1-2 cloves of garlic and 1 chopped red chilli. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic just is on the edge of browning. Add the clams, add some white wine and let it simmer with the lid on, for 2-3 minutes or until all the clams are opened then add the chopped parsley. Your clams are ready.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook as indicated on the box. Depending on the brand of pasta, sometimes you need to cook it for 2-3 minutes less than the time indicated. The best thing to do is to taste it after 5-6 minutes, so that you can be assured that you are cooking the pasta al dente and you don’t overcook it.

When the pasta is done to the point of al dente (cooked but still a little firm when you bite), drain it and place it in a serving bowl. Pour the clams sauce over the spaghetti and toss to combine. Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and with a little more fresh chopped parsley over the top.

Serve immediately. Of course with a glass of white wine too.