Fregola con Vongole (Fregola with Clam)
by Siti Zawani
@ 04 Dec 2015
Extra virgin olive oil, for sautéing and drizzling
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped and divided
1.3kg clams (shells-on), scrubbed clean
½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
140ml white wine
350g fregola sarda
1 tablespoon chopped Italian fat-leaf parsley
55g semi-dried tomatoes
240ml cherry tomatoes in juice
A pinch of red chillies
Oregano, for garnishing
• Heat a frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Add in the extra virgin olive oil and half of the chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in the clams and cook until shells are opened. Remove, strain and reserve the clam jus. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, extract the cooked clam meat from the shells. Keep a few with shells-on for plating.
• Heat a frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Add in the extra virgin olive oil, chopped onion and the remaining chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in the white wine, fregola sarda,semi-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes in juice. Season with a pinch of red chillies and simmer until white wine sauce has reduced. Add in the reserved clam jus and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice until the fregola sarda is al dente. Add in the cooked clams and toss well.
• Ladle the fregola con vongole vansole into a serving plate and. Top with the reserved cooked clams in shells. Garnish with oregano. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive. Serves 4
