Pictures by Germaine Stafford - Recipe courtesy of chef Stefano Boccia
If you don’t like clams, omit them from the recipe, double the amount of courgettes used, substitute shredded basil for the parsley and at the last minute add a couple of handfuls of grated parmesan.
Ingredients
(serves four people)
400g short fresh pasta (or substitute with 400g dried pasta, but fresh is better);
300g courgettes; 700g clams;
2 cloves garlic, minced; 100ml extra virgin olive oil;
salt; handful flat leafed parsley, chopped.
Preparation
Soak the clams in fresh water for about 30 minutes before you want to cook them. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, chop courgettes into very thin strips. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and add garlic. After a minute or so, add the courgettes to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
At that point, add the clams and the parsley and cook until all the clams have opened. Season to taste.
Cook the fresh pasta in the boiling water. (Fresh pasta cooks quicker than dried pasta, so be careful not to overcook.) Drain pasta, and reserve a ladleful of the cooking water. Add pasta to the pan with the courgettes and clams and toss well, adding the ladleful of cooking water to keep the pasta moist.
Serve immediately with a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
