Today we bring to the table creamy and white spaghetti with garlic, oil, chili, and clams.
I was inspired by the recipe for white clam spaghetti, or spaghetti with clams according to the Neapolitan recipe.
Clams, my love!
Spaghetti with clams is absolutely my favorite first course.
Delicious at home like in a restaurant
The secret to a thick sauce that clings well to the pasta is to finish cooking the spaghetti by risotto cooking in the last minutes of cooking.
Risotto cooking, starch, and glycemia
The technique of finishing pasta like risotto allows for a tastier first course thanks to the starch released in the pan, resulting in a more enveloping sauce.
In case of diabetes, to avoid excess starch, it is usual to de-starch foods such as potatoes and rice; it is even recommended to cook the pasta, rinse it under running water, and drain it before adding it to the sauce.
For this reason, we will finish cooking the spaghetti the last two minutes after having released a good part of the starch in the pot, rinsed, and drained them.
Remember to check your glycemic response!
I bought the clams at the fish market; I cleaned and purged them, opened them in the pan without oil [which we will add at the end, strictly raw] and filtered the broth before proceeding with the preparation of the spaghetti.
For a tasty result, you need 500 g for 2 people.
As for the pasta, I used garlic and chili spaghetti [purchased at the airport as a souvenir from the last trip and which you can buy online here] mixed with traditional durum wheat semolina spaghetti [online here].
Generally, artisanal flavored and colored pasta is available in the supermarket departments dedicated to regional food products.
Attractive and tasty!
To propose on a holiday or special occasion to impress your guests.
Spaghetti with garlic, oil, chili, and clams represent a single dish as it concentrates the characteristics that distinguish a balanced meal in a single serving.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2.8 oz spaghetti (garlic and chili)
- 2.8 oz spaghetti (durum wheat semolina)
- 1.1 lbs clams
- water
- salt
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- dried red chilies (a couple whole)
- 1 small glass white wine
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- to taste parsley (chopped)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (raw)
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Colander
- 1 Salad bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Pan with lid
- 1 Strainer cloth
- 1 Bowl
- 2 Soup plates
Preparation
My kitchen allies for cleaning clams:
• bowl and colander to purge the clams of sand;
• cloth strainer to filter the clam broth.
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Alternative to the cloth strainer:
1 Container
1 Fine mesh strainer
1 Paper towel double layer
1 Bowl
Pour the clams into the sink.
Discard clams with broken shells and empty shells.
Tap the clams, one by one, on a cutting board and discard those that release sand.Wash the clams one by one under running water to remove any impurities.
Transfer the cleaned clams to a colander.
I used a bowl and colander [capacity 3.5 quarts] and added two tablespoons of fine salt to the water.
Fill a large bowl halfway with water, add the salt, and stir with a spoon.
Immerse the colander with the clams into the bowl with water and salt and add more water until a few centimeters from the edge.How long do clams need to purge?
Clams need to purge for at least 2 hours.
Remove the colander with the clams from the salad bowl.
Tap the clams, one by one, on a cutting board and discard those that release sand.
Rinse the clams under running water to remove any impurities.
Your clams are cleaned.
Open clams in the pan
In a hot wide pan, brown a sprinkle of garlic powder and a couple of whole dried hot chilies [optional].
Pour the clams into the pan and stir quickly.
Deglaze with a small glass of white wine.
Cover with a lid [better if glass] and let cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams are fully opened.
Your clams are open.
Let the clams rest in the pan with the lid for about ten minutes so that even the lagging ones open with the retained heat.
Filter the clam broth
Remove the clams from their liquid and transfer them to a soup plate.
Use a cloth strainer or line the inside of a fine mesh strainer with a double-layer paper towel.
Place the strainer over a bowl and pour the clam liquid over it to filter out.
Besides impurities, the garlic powder and whole chilies will be retained.Rinse the pan with just running water and dry it with a paper towel to remove any remaining impurities.
Pour the clam liquid back into the pan.Season the clams [in the soup plate] with pepper and parsley and cover them [with another soup plate] to keep them moist without drying out.
Your clam broth is ready.
Your clams are ready.
Proceed with the preparation of spaghetti with garlic, oil, chili, and clams.
As for the pasta, I used garlic and chili spaghetti.
In case of different cooking times: check the different cooking times and choose the lowest or medium time.
Otherwise, use entirely the format you prefer.
Cook the pasta.
A few minutes before the end of the pasta cooking heat the clam broth until it boils.
A couple of minutes before the end of the pasta cooking rinse it under running water and drain.
Pour the pasta into the pan with the broth.
Finish cooking by repeatedly stirring with a silicone spatula, as if it were a risotto.
The clams should be added at the end of preparation [they are already cooked] just before turning off the heat [just enough time to heat them up].Add the clams and mix.
Grind the pepper.
Off the heat, add the parsley and oil and mix.Serve.
Your creamy and white spaghetti with garlic, oil, chili, and clams is ready.
Enjoy your meal!
You can surprise your guests by preparing spaghetti and clams using other flavored and colored artisanal pasta:
• garlic and basil spaghetti;
• squid ink spaghetti;
• chili spaghetti;
• lemon and pepper spaghetti;
• tricolor spaghetti;
• …
Notes
Hyperglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes.
Here you can find dedicated recipes.
Remember:
• start the meal with a generous portion of vegetables [raw or cooked];
• a balanced meal must contain all nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats & fiber;
• always prepare it following the proportions and combinations indicated in your diet plan.
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