Vongole
Cavorting comes to a halt when we reach the Seafood Counter at our local Whole foods Market. The conversation about who knows what, forgotten, and all eyes are on deck...offerings from the Oceans are upon us. The Whole Fish on ice are funny, some scary. 'Tell me again about who, exactly, eats the eyes'. 'Dean, look at the big Octopus'. 'Can you make Calamari tonight pleeeease?!'
We decide on the Clams. They're packed in a bag, on ice, to keep them alive and fresh...Sammy insists on holding it, peeking in suspiciously, to see if they move.
Plum Tomatoes & Parsley. Black & Green Chocolates are on sale, and we're almost out of Milk.
An hour later, dinner is served; it's been a long day, and there he sits, bowl in hand 'Mama, you make the best food ever'. It's Dinner, and yet so much more.
Organic Ingredients: Serves 4
36 Clams
12 Plum Tomatoes
1 Bunch Parsley, washed, de-stemmed & finely chopped
Sea Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sautéing
2 Shallots, peeled & finely chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled & crushed
2 Tbsp. Pastured Butter
1 Pack/12oz Spaghetti, cooked al dente
Method:
Bring Tomatoes to a boil in a big pot of Water until the Skin starts to peel. Remove from heat & drain, running under cold Water. Allow to cool. Remove Skin and discard. Blitz Tomatoes in a food processor until smooth.
Saute Shallots in a large non stick pot in Olive Oil on medium heat. Once translucent, add Garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add Tomatoes and Salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook while you prepare the Clams (30 minutes). Add a little bit of Water if need be to avoid burning, but not too much as the Clams will release Water as they steam.
Immerse Clams in a bowl of full of cold water, add a teaspoon of Salt. Soak for 20-30 minutes, this removes the grit from the Clams. Using a perforated spoon, lift the clams out of the gritty Water, into a sifter and wash under cold water. Discard any open or damaged ones. Discard gritty water.
Add Clams and Parsley into Tomatoes and raise heat to medium high. Cover and let steam for about 7 minutes or until the clams are open. Discard any that don't open. Manually remove about half the number of clams from their shells and discard shells. Leave the remaining clams in their shells.
Stir freshly cooked al dente Spaghetti, adding the Butter, into Sauce for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with Black Pepper.
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