Linguine alle Vongole

While some food snobs may contest the pairing of seafood/ shellfish and Parmesan, I don’t care what they say - I absolutely love it. The velvety texture of white wine sauce cream sauce infused with delicate Italian herbs is made richer by a blanket of Parmesan, that envelope the heap of vongole with fingers of robust flavour.

Vongole is the Italian name for clams, which are typically used in pasta dishes. This is a recipe that I envisioned in my mind repeatedly, inspired by my consumption of one too many Italian restaurant meals. Oh well, it seems to have paid off in the end! Fresh clams work best here, but you can used tinned clams if your hard pressed.

Just enough to serve two, but if you're appetite is anything like mine - perfect for one!

Ingredients: 300g Vongole, cleaned thoroughly; 100 g Pancetta, diced; 1 small brown onion; 1 clove garlic, minced; 150 ml thick cream; Olive oil, for frying; Splash white wine; 250 g linguine; dried Italian herbs; salt and pepper to taste; grated Parmesan to serve and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley

Method: In a wok sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the Pancetta and fry until golden brown, add the vongole and cook for about 4-5 minutes until all of them open (throw away the ones that don’t).

On another burner boil the linguine in a pot of salted water till al dente (usually 8 – 10 minutes). Drain and toss with olive oil and dried Italian herbs. Set aside.

Once the vongole is cooked through, add the cream to the mixture and toss to cover the vongole, onions and Pancetta, and finally a good splash of white wine, season with salt, pepper and dried Italian herbs. Toss in the drained, seasoned linguine and serve into pasta bowls with fresh grated Parmesan and shower with chopped parsley.