"This is a classic and simple dish that's lifted by the smoked tomatoes," says Papadakis. "If you can't find strawberry clams, diamond-shell clams are a great substitute - they are meaty, sweet and have a distinct ocean flavour." At the restaurant, the chefs make their own spaghetti; we've used dried pasta here.
Tipo 00's spaghetti with strawberry clams, chilli and smoked tomato
The smoked tomatoes lift this dish above most seafood pastas; repeat the smoking process as much as you'd like to deepen the flavour.
- 30 mins preparation
- 30 mins cooking
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 375 gm cherry tomatoes
- 125 ml extra-virgin olive oil (½ cup)
- 2 tbsp smoking chips, soaked in cold water for 25 minutes
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic (6 cloves)
- 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
- 125 ml dry white wine (½ cup)
- 1 kg strawberry clams or large diamond-shell clams
- 250 fish stock (1 cup)
- 6 basil leaves, torn
- 400 gm dried spaghetti
- 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
Main
- 1Preheat oven to 140C. Place tomatoes in a deep roasting pan, season with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt, and roast until slightly blistered (10-12 minutes).
- 2Place smoking chips in a small metal container (or on a piece of foil on a flameproof tray) and heat over high heat until they start to smoke (5-10 minutes; or light the woodchips using a blowtorch). Once the flames subside and the chips start smoking, add them to the roasting pan with the tomatoes, cover with foil and stand for 20-25 minutes. Repeat the process if you like a smokier flavour.
- 3Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add remaining olive oil, garlic and chilli, and sauté until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add white wine, then clams, stock and basil, cover with a lid and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until clams open (3-4 minutes). Season to taste.
- 4Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (5-10 minutes), then drain, reserving a little pasta water.
- 5Add spaghetti, smoked tomatoes and parsley to clam sauce and toss to combine, adding a little pasta water if needed to coat pasta. Season to taste, divide among warm bowls and serve.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: 2013 Tenuta delle Terre Nere “Etna Rosato” Nerello Mascalese, Sicily. A fresh bone-dry rosé with great savoury spice and mineral finish. It really freshens up this dish, with its acid allowing the chilli and smoke to shine. Drink suggestion by Luke Skidmore