Culinaria Italia - Italian Food and Cooking

This is a real Italian classic. There are a lot of different recipes for vermicelli con le vongole, some using tomatoes and/or chilli, but this one uses neither. The juice from the clams provides the sauce. Serves 4

  1      kilogram  clams — Scrubbed
          olive oil
  2      cloves  garlic — thinly sliced
  350 grams  vermicelli
  1      tablespoon  chopped parsley
          Salt and pepper

• Discard any clams with broken shells or which are open
• Heat some oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and clams
• Cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes
• Remove from the heat and lift out the clam. Discard any that remained closed
• Remove the clams from the shell, saving a few for decoration
• Strain the liquid from the saucepan into a frying pan and add the meat from the clams.
• Cook the vermicelli until al dente, drain and add to the frying pan.
• Cook for a couple minutes, tossing frequently.
• Adjust the seasoning, add the parsley and serve.