Serving pasta and shellfish together is a wonderful way of combining bulk and flavour. The shellfish willingly passes on an abundance of taste to the pasta, which is more than happy to absorb it. Any type of pasta will do for this recipe but the bulkier the better.
preparation time 45 minutes
cooking time 20 to 25 minutes
serves 4
Ingredients
1.5 kg (3 lb) fresh clams
75 ml (3 fl oz) virgin olive oil
175 g (6 oz) shallots, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
500 g (1 lb) tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced
300 ml (10 fl oz) dry white wine
350 g (12 oz) dried pasta
150 ml (5 fl oz) crème fraîche
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Scrub the clams thoroughly under cold running water, discarding any open ones, then set aside.
2 Heat the oil in a pan, add the shallots, garlic, dill and tomatoes and cook gently for 5–10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Pour the white wine into a large shallow pan, bring to the boil and then add the clams. Cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes until the shells open. Discard any that remain closed. Remove the clams from the wine with a slotted spoon and put them in the tomato sauce. Reserve the wine they were cooked in.
4 Pour the reserved wine into a clean large pan, top up with boiling water and, once it comes back to the boil, add the pasta. Season with salt and cook until al dente.
5 Drain the pasta well and stir it into the tomato and clam sauce. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
6 If the sauce is too thick, add a little more white wine. Once you are satisfied with the consistency, stir in the crème fraîche, heat through briefly and then serve immediately.
The use of crème fraîche gives a lovely light finish to the sauce without making it too creamy. However, if you prefer a sharper flavour to your food then you could leave out the cream.