Spaghetti Vongole

serves 2

for the spaghetti

80g 00 flour

80g Semolina flour

1 free-range egg

3 free-range egg yolks

for the sauce

2 garlic cloves, sliced

small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks finely chopped: leaves separate.

2 dried chillies: break them up for a spicier sauce.

75ml white wine

4 tbsp olive oil

2 ripe tomatoes

400g berberchos (clams)

Maldon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl mix the 2 flours together; and with a fork, combine the egg and yolks.

2. Bring the dough together with your hand and knead for about 5 minutes until it is glossy and elastic.

3. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.

4. Run the dough through a pasta machine on the widest setting; and after each run-through fold both ends into the centre; and press down. Repeat this 5 times.

N.B. You can roll the dough short and wide or long and thin(as I did; with a resulting long spaghetti).

5. Dust the dough lightly with semolina flour; and then run through the narrower setting before passing through the spaghetti mill.

6. Hang up until needed: it will dry in 48 hours and (if stored in an air-tight container), last for months.

then...

7. Put a large saucepan of heavily salted water on to boil. Lid on.

N.B. Never add oil to the pan; this will only stop the sauce sticking to the pasta.

8. Put the clams in a bowl of cold water and leave for 15 minutes.

9. Heat a thick-bottomed pan. Add the oil and fry the sliced garlic and chillies; until the garlic starts to colour.

N.B. this is aglio (garlic), olio (oil) e peperonchino (chilli): a great pasta sauce in its own right.

10. Drain the clam and add to the pan; along with the parsley stalks, tomatoes and wine.

11. Cover and shake the pan from time to time; until the clams open... about 3-4 minutes.

12. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water... it will only take 2-3 minutes to cook. Lid off.

14. Discard any clams that haven't opened and season to taste.

15. Drain the spaghetti and add to the sauce pan: sprinkle over the parsley leaves and toss the spaghetti in the sauce.

16. Serve...