Linguine allo Scoglio
Before I tell you how to make this dish that will transport you to the sun-kissed, azured-sea, rocky-shored, hot-and-gorgeous-sunbather-laden isle of Ponza, off the coast of Rome, I would lie to issue a complaint. It’s a kvetch necessary for the spiel.
For many years I cooked what I considered a masterful pasta con le vongole (pasta with clams) without using the precious juices released by the clams as they cook. I knew Italian chefs considered the juices the secret to this dish, but I didn’t know what to do with them and certainly wasn’t going to allow my pasta to sit in a watery plate of clam juice–that goes against every Italian culinary principle in existence.
Despite researching dozens of Italian recipes and YouTube videos of Italian chefs, I couldn’t find anyone who properly addresses the steps in between cooking the clams, which creates an abundance of liquid, and then having a precisely al dente pasta with a sauce that perfectly coats each noodle with no run-off on the side of your plate. What are these chefs doing that they are not telling us?
Some recipes add wine, some don’t. Some add tomato, some don’t. Most recipes call for covering the pan when cooking the clams, which allows for no evaporation of liquids. Furthermore, most encourage you to save water from the pasta pot in order to add even more liquid to the sauce once the pasta is done. Where the hell does all that water go? Maybe because Italian clams are smaller, less water is produced in the cooking process? So I consulted American cookbooks which brought me to Mario.
Ah, Mario Batali, you ginger genius, lately undone by your own appetites (particularly you alleged appetite for inappropriate groping). Your restaurant Mozza is one of my favorites in LA, so I went straight to Molto Gusto for guidance. Unfortunately, your recipe for Linguini with Clams–closed lid, wine, extra water from the pasta–led to another watery disaster. Mario, there’s a secret step in that recipe that you are not telling us!
Finally, I found another recipe of Mario’s online that finally set this pasta right. He left the mollusks uncovered and undercooked the pasta so he could finish cooking in the pan. Aha!
So here’s what you need to do:
Cook the clams over a lively heat UNCOVERED. Aside from allowing the juices to condense, this will also slow down the time it takes for them to open and help you synchronize the timing with the cooking of the pasta.
Undercook the pasta by two minutes. If you don’t know what two-minute-undercooked-pasta tastes like, this recipe os not for you. Yet. Practice with more forgiving recipes first.
Finish cooking the pasta with the clams. It will soak up all their precious juices, flavoring every bite without leaving a puddle on your plate.
Okay, kvetch complete! Now go make this pasta and imagine yourself on Ponza, surrounded by those gorgeous sunbathers. Slurp, slurp!
Click here for recipe
Click here for tips on cooking al dente pasta
Click here for help with what pasta goes with what sauce