SPAGHETTI WITH PALOURDES CLAMS AND TOMATO SAUCE

"Wow, I love this dish. Love it, love it, love it. Clams are delicious. Their flavour is clean and sea like. My girlfriend and I have eaten a kilo and a half just as a midnight snack and it was the best. Please make the effort to find them. Supermarkets will order items for you; if you have a local fishmonger go to them or go to a market. Buy fresh smelling, firmly closed clams and enjoy one of the finest shellfish around."

Ingredients:
1kg Clams (Palourdes)
180g Spaghetti
1 Red Chilli
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Small Onion
3 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
6-8 Ripe Tomatoes
½ Bunch of Parsley
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Throw out the dead clams
Give the clams a good rinse and check for any broken ones. If the shells are broken, throw them away. If you find any that are open, give them a tap on a surface - if they close, all is well, but if they don’t they are dead and should be thrown away. Clams must be alive when they are cooked. If you eat dead ones there is a possibility that they could make you ill and you don’t want that on your romantic evening.

2. Chop chop chop
Finely dice the onion and garlic. Slice the chilli. Most of the heat of a chilli is in its seeds and pith, so if you don’t want the dish to be too hot you can remove these. Again, only use as much as you want, there are no rules.

3. Cook your pasta
Place a large saucepan of water on the stove and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt. Pasta cooking times vary, so please refer to the cooking guidelines on the packet of pasta. The pasta needs to be cooked al dente, but what does that mean? You
probably cook it al dente anyway, since overcooked or undercooked pasta is really not very nice. The pasta is ready when you can bite into it and it has a firm but cooked through texture. Trying it regularly while it is
cooking is the key to getting it right.

4. Pasta in advance
If you are preparing the pasta in advance, run it under cold water when it is ready, to stop it cooking. Drain and coat lightly in olive oil. Cover and put this in the fridge. You can prepare the pasta up to a day in advance. To re-heat, simply pour boiling water straight from the kettle over it and leave for a minute. Drain.

5. Time to fry
Pour a good slug of olive oil, not loads, but enough to coat the bottom of the frying pan. On a low to medium heat, warm the oil, then add the onions, garlic and chilli, as well as the thyme and bay leaf. Fry gently for five or so minutes, until they go a nice golden brown colour.

6. Cook the clams and serve
Dice the tomatoes and add to the pan. Cook for just a few minutes, no more than five. Add the clams. Give the pan a good stir through and leave to cook. The clams are ready when they have all opened up, but be aware that the odd one may have been dead from the start, therefore has not opened and should be thrown away. Season your dish, but remember that the clams are salty, so not too much salt. Finally add the chopped parsley and serve.