The Art of Cooking Fresh Clams with Garlic and Pasta

When it comes to cooking fresh clams, simplicity is key. Chef [Name] believes that using only a few ingredients, such as garlic, anchovy, shallot, pepperoncini, parsley, pasta, and olive oil, can create a dish that is both flavorful and easy to prepare. The chef starts by sautéing the garlic, shallot, and anchovy in olive oil until the shallot is translucent, which adds a subtle sweetness to the dish. Next, he adds the pepperoncini, which naturally sweetens the liquid and gives it a depth of flavor.

The clam cooking process begins with rinsing the clams under cold water, discarding any broken or open shells, and then adding them to the pan. The chef covers the pot and waits for the clams to open, which typically takes around 3 minutes. During this time, the steam from the cooking liquid cooks the pasta al dente, leaving it with a firm but not hard texture. When the clams have opened, the chef carefully lifts them out of the shell and adds them to the pan.

One of the key elements in this dish is the freshness of the ingredients. The chef emphasizes the importance of using fresh parsley, which is added early on in the cooking process to infuse the liquid with its flavor. He also believes that the type of pasta used is crucial, as it needs to hold its texture and not become mushy when cooked. The chef recommends using a high-quality pasta that is specifically designed for this dish.

The sauce itself is created by slowly adding the clam broth to the pan, allowing the flavors to meld together and reducing the liquid until it reaches a luxurious and creamy consistency. This process requires patience, as the sauce needs time to develop its rich flavor profile. The chef notes that using olive oil at the end of cooking adds a depth of flavor and helps to infuse the pasta with its richness.

When serving the dish, the chef advises against over-accessorizing it with garnishes or sauces, as this can detract from the simplicity and elegance of the original recipe. Instead, he recommends allowing the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine through, while adding a touch of freshness with some parsley. The pasta is then finished in the sauce, which absorbs the flavors and gives the dish its characteristic creaminess.

In the end, this simple yet elegant dish showcases the beauty of cooking with fresh and high-quality ingredients. By following the chef's instructions and using a few carefully selected ingredients, anyone can create a delicious and satisfying meal that is sure to impress. Whether you're a seasoned chef or an amateur cook, this recipe is a great starting point for exploring the world of fresh seafood and pasta dishes.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enlinguine with the clams or linguine vong the clams i think are most like bungalay clams if you go to italy are these these cockles museums are small okay these have been washed several times soaked washed again scrubbed but these are great because they're small they sort of make sense in the bowl i like to leave thy shells in the linguine clam i think it's part of the romance of linguine of clams water salty as the ocean the sea and the ocean i like a flat surface if you go and get mussels or clams and they put it in a pot like this what happens the bottom clam or mussel gets cooked the top clam isn't open yet that one gets overcooked the top one opens and then you have an uneven cooking distribution so i like to put a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil i like this not a big old deep pot and i'm just gonna take this garlic would you snip some of the stem i like some of the stem in this uh not rough cut not fancy okay rough cut and i'm just gonna cut these really thin like this how many garlic cloves looks like i have five i'm gonna this is next four three four this is a garlicky dish isn't it well it's supposed to be but you to cut the garlic not too thin not too thick but it's really important that it's fresh and you cut it by hand okay i'm gonna put one more in i think that is actually enough judging by what i have here i think this is plenty this is parsley if you live in an area of the country like i where i grew up we didn't have fish markets we didn't have access to fresh clams i think canned clams are really good nothing wrong with canned clams if you follow the same method it will do the same thing but it's just a different flavor so we're gonna do this in real time the anchovy the garlic the shallot goes in and the shallot is maybe controversial i like shallot in this for some reason i think it's good i'm gonna put a little pepperoncini it's naturally sweet the way the clams are and the pasta yeah and we're going to lower this now it's getting up to temperature we're going to lower it so we don't want to burn the garlic you can take those that ice this is i've kept them cold fresh very clean they go right in and important here to notice i'm gonna put a touch of parsley in early i've always done this the way i was taught i think it actually a little cooked parsley and fresh parsley makes some sense i also think it goes in the clams as they're opening a little one i'm not putting a lot of wine but you do need this water be careful it's salty just a bit just a bit okay and then we are gonna cover this a quick shake you do not want to cook this a lot once they open they're done this should be open maybe in three minutes it's kind of like popping popcorn honestly right just wait till they open and then basically when it's open the dish is done and so this is why i love this dish it seems complicated but it's not it's just fresh ingredient salted pasta good pasta a lot of fresh parsley and listen how long does it take those clams to open up let's take a look it's been probably 30 seconds since i covered them they're starting to open here yeah i see a couple okay so we're doing that because the steam is now hitting the top of the pan and pushing down so they open evenly if you had this pot off and uncovered they would open at different times so pasta's about a minute you wanted al dente 80 percent you can see that right i mean look at all that little clamettes really important why it's flat because it all cooks even get them out they're done they're done i could do all these with just a nice piece of crust and bread a piece of what crusty bread look at those pieces of garlic floating in there they're staying in there so you want to get these out as quick as possible but what you've done is you've stopped them from overcooking the texture very important pasta is al dente guess where the pasta goes right in the ding right into green in the pan no need to dirty a colander let's just put it right in colander no i want that pasta water and we're gonna let it do its magic do your magic this is so few ingredients for you jeffrey i don't even see any garnishes i'm i'm really on earth are you is it is it upsetting no i like it so what's gonna happen is the the liquid as always is gonna reduce the oil is gonna stay the pasta is gonna give its starch over and this should start to be luxurious and creamy okay i'm adding the pasta to the parsley wow okay which means a lot of parsley i heard that okay this is so important we are basically done we're gonna add this back okay my mouth is watered right now the olive oil is really important at the very end olive oil when it cooks flavor goes garlic gets infused this now is grassy and green and you need that sort of flavor differential so okay let's do it yeah brother so this is a traditional mongolia no cheese okay you ready okay oh wow yeah oh okay all right so can i serve myself here yeah that's your happiness right there that's your old bowl all right i'm gonna get some of this expertly cut garlic and parsley oh my gosh if you want something rough cut holler at me this is a beautiful thing all right all right i'm gonna eat mine you get everybody else plated up here got to get a little cockle out of the shell my mother's favorite pasta yes i'm gonna do that a little closer so katie can have some room to eat there so jeffrey the pasta finishing it in the sauce is so key because it actually absorbs some of it so you get that flavor all the way through the clams are perfectly cooked and i love all this parsley in there youlinguine with the clams or linguine vong the clams i think are most like bungalay clams if you go to italy are these these cockles museums are small okay these have been washed several times soaked washed again scrubbed but these are great because they're small they sort of make sense in the bowl i like to leave thy shells in the linguine clam i think it's part of the romance of linguine of clams water salty as the ocean the sea and the ocean i like a flat surface if you go and get mussels or clams and they put it in a pot like this what happens the bottom clam or mussel gets cooked the top clam isn't open yet that one gets overcooked the top one opens and then you have an uneven cooking distribution so i like to put a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil i like this not a big old deep pot and i'm just gonna take this garlic would you snip some of the stem i like some of the stem in this uh not rough cut not fancy okay rough cut and i'm just gonna cut these really thin like this how many garlic cloves looks like i have five i'm gonna this is next four three four this is a garlicky dish isn't it well it's supposed to be but you to cut the garlic not too thin not too thick but it's really important that it's fresh and you cut it by hand okay i'm gonna put one more in i think that is actually enough judging by what i have here i think this is plenty this is parsley if you live in an area of the country like i where i grew up we didn't have fish markets we didn't have access to fresh clams i think canned clams are really good nothing wrong with canned clams if you follow the same method it will do the same thing but it's just a different flavor so we're gonna do this in real time the anchovy the garlic the shallot goes in and the shallot is maybe controversial i like shallot in this for some reason i think it's good i'm gonna put a little pepperoncini it's naturally sweet the way the clams are and the pasta yeah and we're going to lower this now it's getting up to temperature we're going to lower it so we don't want to burn the garlic you can take those that ice this is i've kept them cold fresh very clean they go right in and important here to notice i'm gonna put a touch of parsley in early i've always done this the way i was taught i think it actually a little cooked parsley and fresh parsley makes some sense i also think it goes in the clams as they're opening a little one i'm not putting a lot of wine but you do need this water be careful it's salty just a bit just a bit okay and then we are gonna cover this a quick shake you do not want to cook this a lot once they open they're done this should be open maybe in three minutes it's kind of like popping popcorn honestly right just wait till they open and then basically when it's open the dish is done and so this is why i love this dish it seems complicated but it's not it's just fresh ingredient salted pasta good pasta a lot of fresh parsley and listen how long does it take those clams to open up let's take a look it's been probably 30 seconds since i covered them they're starting to open here yeah i see a couple okay so we're doing that because the steam is now hitting the top of the pan and pushing down so they open evenly if you had this pot off and uncovered they would open at different times so pasta's about a minute you wanted al dente 80 percent you can see that right i mean look at all that little clamettes really important why it's flat because it all cooks even get them out they're done they're done i could do all these with just a nice piece of crust and bread a piece of what crusty bread look at those pieces of garlic floating in there they're staying in there so you want to get these out as quick as possible but what you've done is you've stopped them from overcooking the texture very important pasta is al dente guess where the pasta goes right in the ding right into green in the pan no need to dirty a colander let's just put it right in colander no i want that pasta water and we're gonna let it do its magic do your magic this is so few ingredients for you jeffrey i don't even see any garnishes i'm i'm really on earth are you is it is it upsetting no i like it so what's gonna happen is the the liquid as always is gonna reduce the oil is gonna stay the pasta is gonna give its starch over and this should start to be luxurious and creamy okay i'm adding the pasta to the parsley wow okay which means a lot of parsley i heard that okay this is so important we are basically done we're gonna add this back okay my mouth is watered right now the olive oil is really important at the very end olive oil when it cooks flavor goes garlic gets infused this now is grassy and green and you need that sort of flavor differential so okay let's do it yeah brother so this is a traditional mongolia no cheese okay you ready okay oh wow yeah oh okay all right so can i serve myself here yeah that's your happiness right there that's your old bowl all right i'm gonna get some of this expertly cut garlic and parsley oh my gosh if you want something rough cut holler at me this is a beautiful thing all right all right i'm gonna eat mine you get everybody else plated up here got to get a little cockle out of the shell my mother's favorite pasta yes i'm gonna do that a little closer so katie can have some room to eat there so jeffrey the pasta finishing it in the sauce is so key because it actually absorbs some of it so you get that flavor all the way through the clams are perfectly cooked and i love all this parsley in there you\n"