Easy Main Italian

Spaghetti alle vongole: spaghetti with clams, pancetta, garlic and parsley

Name: Spaghetti alle vongole: spaghetti with clams, pancetta, garlic and parsley
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 400g dried spaghetti; 12 thick slices of flat pancetta (or streaky bacon), cut into strips; 2 tbs olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; 500g clams (vongole) or pipis, soaked in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes; 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 small red chillies, seeds removed, thinly sliced; 8 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped; 200ml dry white wine; 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

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05m

15m

Spaghetti with vongole, pancetta, garlic and parsley

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by Tobie Puttock

Celebrity chef

Oct 09, 2015

Salty pancetta and anchovies enhance the flavours of Tobie Puttock's classic spaghetti with clams.

400g dried spaghetti
12 thick slices of flat pancetta (or streaky bacon), cut into strips
2 tbs olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
500g clams (vongole) or pipis, soaked in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 small red chillies, seeds removed, thinly sliced
8 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
200ml dry white wine
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method

1.

Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving 2-3 tbs cooking liquid.
2.

Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook pancetta, stirring, for 5-7 minutes until it starts to crisp. Remove and set aside. Increase heat to high, add 2 tbs oil to the same pan, then add clams. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add garlic, chilli and anchovy. Add wine and cover for about 2 minutes. As clams open, transfer to a bowl so they don’t become rubbery.
3.

Once all clams have opened, remove the pan from the heat (discard any clams that haven’t opened after this time). If pan is dry, add a little pasta liquid. Add pasta with parsley and a drizzle of oil. Season with pepper to taste, then add clams and pancetta, toss to combine and serve.