Ingredients
| ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil | |
| 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped | |
| finely grated zest of 1 lemon | |
| 4 tomatoes, cored and chopped | |
| ½ cup dry white wine | |
| 3kg/6lb shellfish, rinsed and scrubbed (cockles, mussels, tuatuas, or pipis) | |
| 500g/1lb dried linguine, bucatini, or gluten-free alternative | |
| 2 tablespoon harissa, or more to taste | |
| ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley | |
| 2 tablespoons lemon juice | |
| freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
We both love vongole; it’s one of those things that is so lip-smackingly delicious when it’s done well. The trick is not to rush – cook the shellfish, then the pasta, and then it all together to heat through.
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Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium-low heat. |
| 2. | Add the garlic and lemon zest and sizzle for a few seconds. |
| 3. | Add the tomatoes and wine, increase the heat to bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until liquid has reduced and is aromatic (5 minutes). |
| 4. | Add the shellfish, cover the pot tightly with a lid and cook for 3–4 minutes, lifting the shellfish out of the pot and into a bowl as they open. |
| 5. | Discard any shellfish that remain closed and set the pot aside without draining (you’re going to use this broth shortly). |
| 6. | Remove the flesh from half of the shells, discard the empty shells and reserve the flesh in a bowl with the cooked whole shellfish. |
| 7. | The shellfish and cooking liquid can be prepared ahead to this point an hour or two before serving and chilled until needed (just transfer the shellfish broth into a smaller container to fit in your fridge). |
| 8. | When ready to serve, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for 3 minutes less than the packet instructions. |
| 9. | While the pasta cooks, return to the large pot with the shellfish broth. Bring to a boil. |
| 10. | Drain the almost-cooked pasta and add it to the hot shellfish broth. |
| 11. | Stir through the harissa and return to a boil over a high heat until the pasta is just al dente (2–3 minutes; it should still have a bit of bite). |
| 12. | Add the reserved shellfish, cover and heat through for about 1 minute. |
| 13. | Stir through the parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. |
| 14. | Serve family-style out of the large pot. |
| 15. | NOTE The cooking time given in this recipe is for small shellfish such as cockles or pipis. If using larger shellfish such as green-lipped mussels they will take a bit longer to cook. |
This is an edited extract
from Summer at Home
by Annabel & Rose
Langbein, published by
Annabel Langbein Media,
$24.99. Photography
Rose Langbein, Ted
Hewetson, Hamish
Jackson-Mee. Purchase at
langbein.com/products/
summer-at-home