Bucatini Vongole from Dora Tavel-Sanchez

The Farmhouse

Chef Dora Tavel Sanchez, chef-owner of both The Farmhouse in Needham and Buttercup in Natick, shares the recipe for one of her favorite preparations: bucatini vongole (that’s Italian for pasta with clams). It’s a lovely and satisfying dish pretty much any time of year but especially in early spring when you’re craving a taste of summery seafood while looking to shake the chill with a warming plate of pasta.

Ingredients

for the compound butter:
  • 1 tablespoon chili flakes
  • 8 garlic cloves peeled and minced
  • 2 pounds unsalted butter, softened
for the bucatini vongole:
  • 6 ounces bucatini
  • 6 ounces fish stock
  • 2 tablespoons compound butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 15 manila clams - soak in cool water for 20 minutes and then rinse before cooking
  • 9 ounces Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley

Directions

for the compound butter
  1. In a bowl mix unsalted butter, the minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chili flakes and combine
for the bucatini vongole
  1. Get pan super hot, add a generous tablespoon of compound butter and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, (to ensure the butter won’t burn) and then add the sweet 100 tomatoes sliced in half. The Sweet 100s are super sweet cherry tomatoes that compliment the spiciness of this dish.
  2. Add the rinsed manila clams, and saute covered until open, about 6-8 minutes
  3. Add the fish stock and bucatini pasta and saute until al dente, about 3 minutes
  4. Garnish with flat leaf parsley and serve

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