Tasty tomatoes, clams, fresh wine, and a few other bits and pieces are all you need to experience the Mediterranean on your plate.
It doesn’t take much more than picking the right ingredients to impress all the pasta and seafood lovers. But just as with any other simple recipe, the devil is in the details. And exactly these details are what will make or break your dish.
This recipe starts with pasta of the highest quality that you can get your hands on. If you have the time to make your own, definitely do so. Cook the pasta in salted water until “al dente”, meaning it’s still firm when bitten.
Cook the pasta in water as salty as the sea.
Besides pasta you will need the following:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Anchovies
- Dry white wine
- Basil
- Butter
- Clams
- Salt
Cherry tomatoes are going to be the star of this sauce. Not tomato paste or canned tomatoes. Fresh cherry tomatoes will give this dish the desired sweetness. Cut them up into large chunks or halves. Pick shallot instead of onion to keep with the theme of sweetness. Chop it up really thin and throw it in a hot pan along with some butter. When it starts to glaze add the tomatoes. Keep the heat at a medium, so the tomatoes can caramelize slowly. While that is happening, cut up some anchovies and gradually add them to the tomatoes to get the right amount of saltiness.
Anchovies are a vital part of the recipe, bringing saltiness and aroma to the dish.
Chop up some garlic and throw it in the pan along with clams, before pouring over the wine. Make sure you chose a wine you actually like to drink, because it will serve as a base for the sauce when it mixes up with the tomatoes and all the other ingredients. A dry white wine will best serve the purposes of this recipe, as it will balance out the sweetness you’ve been building up so far.
Before adding the pasta, also throw in some fresh basil. Make a taste test to see if it needs some extra salt or anchovies and you are done.
You can watch our video to see this recipe in action and browse our website for more interesting recipes.
