[Gavin Yates]

Spaghetti Alla Vongole

This is a classic Italian dish but can be adapted to different ingredients eg Spaghetti alla Gamberi.

What you need ...

Vongole - Baby Clams are best, cockles are fine, scallops are brilliant and prawns (gamberi) will do dandy

Linguine - I prefer linguine to spaghetti - use dried stuff it's what the Italians use - fresh pasta is for chefs unless for Tagliatelli :-)

Garlic - lots of

White wine - use stuff you'd be happy drinking not plonk

Onion - one or two

Olive oil

Method

Heat some olive oil, add chopped onion and cook slowly - the aim is to make the onion translucent not coloured. When it's well sweated add garlic and cook until the garlic is just starting to colour. Then start adding white wine, bit at a time but you can put the gas up a wee bit. The adding of the wine should go on for ten minutes.

Whilst your doing this last bit your boiling salted water is ready for the linguine so add it. Check it after 7 minutes and if it's good to go then get it out of the water saving a little of the pasta water (you might need it)

Dress your pasta with extra virgin olive oil, some salt and some frshly ground black pepper (if you want to) and put it in a big bowl.

Add the seafood to your fast bubbling wine, onion, garlic and cook for a maximum of two mins.

When ready tip your seafood mixture over your pasta (if it's not saucy enough a bit of the pasta water can be added to loosen.)

Serve with a crisp white such as a Sauvingon Blanc.

Eat. Then have your main course :-)