Spaghetti with Clams Recipe

CLEAN THE CLAMS

1. Place the clams in a bowl and fill it with cool water. Add a handful of coarse salt and let them soak for about 2 hours. During this time they will spit out the sand from inside their shells. Then remove the clams from the water and scrub them to clean any particles or grit from the outside surface.
2. Place them in a stainless steel stockpot and cook over medium heat for about 2 or 3 minutes, NOT MORE, covered with a lid (NO oil and NO water). Pay attention to not overcook the clams otherwise they become hard and rubbery. This step is only to open the shells so that the liquid they contain comes out. IMPORTANT: discard the clams that have not opened because they are probably not so fresh.
3. Now you need to strain the liquid. So with a slotted spoon , remove the clams and place them in a separate dish. Then with an extra fine mesh strainer, filter the liquid to remove any residual sand. In fact the liquid, that is pure clam and sea flavor, is used to make the clam sauce and is essential for the recipe so don't thrown it away!
4. Now remove the clams from the shell. Place them on a plate with a little liquid to keep them soft. Keep some clams in their shells which will be used to decorate your dishes before serving.

THE CLAM SAUCE

1. In a stainless steel dutch oven casserole heat plenty of extra virgin olive oil and two cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole. Sauté for about 3 minutes over medium heat, then add the clams and (if you like) the red chilli pepper.
2. Stir and cook for 1 or 2 minutes then raise the heat and blend with the dry white wine. Let the wine evaporate over high heat for 1 minute then add a ladle of clams water you had set aside.
3. Stir and cook over high heat for 5 minutes then remove the garlic cloves and the red chilli pepper.
4. Now add plenty of chopped parsley and turn off the heat. The clam sauce is ready! Next steps we are going to cook and season spaghetti.

COOK SPAGHETTI

1. Fill a large pasta pot with water, bring to a boil and then add the coarse salt. When the water boils, put spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti following the cooking times written on their packaging.
2. 1 minute before the end of cooking, with the help of a spaghetti strainer, drain and place them directly in the saucepan with the clam sauce.
3. Finish cooking over high heat for about 1 or 2 minutes, stirring constantly. In this way the pasta absorb even more flavor and juices of the clam sauce. Serve hot adding the clams in the shell as decoration.