Spaghetti alla vongole

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nicklord1

Senior Cook
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
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352
Hello i never cooked clams before i am going to cook them in the water and wine for 8 minutes and any that dont open i discard is this correct. If they open a little is that good enough . Equally is 1kg with shells a good enough weight between 4.

Thank you
 
I'd steam them instead of boiling them in the water and wine...
and then dip them in garlic butter. Oh so yummy!
 
Hi nicklord1-I don't know what clams you're using, so you might want to consider finding out approximately how many clams are in a kilo and adjust your servings that way. What I dois this: I scrub the clams with a brush under running water to get rid of the snad on the shells. Then I leave them in water to I've added some flour. This gives the clams an internal cleansing. Next in a pot big enough to hold the clams, I'll heat some olive oil and saute chopped onion and garlic, Then I add white wine, boil for a minute, add the clams and cover the pot,shaking the pot every now and then.That way the clams steam with the onion, garlic and the wine. Then I check for clams that haven't opened, throw them away, and sprinkle the clams with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper. I have my spaghetti, boiled al dente and I mix it into the clams. Bon Appetit!!
 
But generally any clams that arent open you throw away and it should take 5 minutes to cook them , i dont want to poision my guests . These will be super market clams so i guess i dont have to clean the sand from them as stated in my cook book.

I have never had clams how do they compare to scallops which i love
 
But generally any clams that arent open you throw away and it should take 5 minutes to cook them , i dont want to poision my guests . These will be super market clams so i guess i dont have to clean the sand from them as stated in my cook book.

I have never had clams how do they compare to scallops which i love

To my taste, clams are rather bland, but they pick up the cooking flavors well. They're not sweet like scallops, which I also love :)
 
Hello i never cooked clams before i am going to cook them in the water and wine for 8 minutes and any that dont open i discard is this correct. If they open a little is that good enough . Equally is 1kg with shells a good enough weight between 4.

Thank you

I would disgard any that don't open. Can't help with the measurements - but here's an example of a recipe where you can cook the pasta and clams together & cooking time. Hope that helps.

Toasted Spaghetti with Clams
 
Thank you for the recipe i think i am going ot have to give it a go , do i have to clean the clams or just cook it in the water and the wine as said. I am cooking this dish next week with a mussel soup a bit of seafood overload i know but i hope it will turn out well.

Next week i am doing scallops staint jacques with chicken breast in a leak , veal stock , wine sauce for the entre. Also baking a choclate and pear cake in the week . I am working from home for a bit so i thought i got all these cook books it will be ashame not to give these dishes ago. I will tell you all how they turned out.

Thank you
 
Thank you for the recipe i think i am going ot have to give it a go , do i have to clean the clams or just cook it in the water and the wine as said. I am cooking this dish next week with a mussel soup a bit of seafood overload i know but i hope it will turn out well.

Next week i am doing scallops staint jacques with chicken breast in a leak , veal stock , wine sauce for the entre. Also baking a choclate and pear cake in the week . I am working from home for a bit so i thought i got all these cook books it will be ashame not to give these dishes ago. I will tell you all how they turned out.

Thank you

What time is dinner? :) It's been awhile, but I've steamed the clams disgarding any that are open - prior to cooking. I would clean the clams first - and re the recipe, perhaps you could do a combo of the broth and wine & herbs of choice. Let us know how it turns out.
 
Heres is the first step scrub the clams under cold running water to remove all sand and grit . Discard any that do no not close when tapped. Put the clams into a saucepan , add the wine cover and cok for 5m inutes , strain , reserving the liquid . Remove the clams from their shells , discard any that have not opened and leaving a few in their half shells for garnish.

Now will clams open when i am cleaning and close when i tapp them i kinda confused u discard those that do not close then those which do not open.
 
Hi nicklord1-I don't know what clams you're using, so you might want to consider finding out approximately how many clams are in a kilo and adjust your servings that way. What I dois this: I scrub the clams with a brush under running water to get rid of the snad on the shells. Then I leave them in water to I've added some flour. This gives the clams an internal cleansing. Next in a pot big enough to hold the clams, I'll heat some olive oil and saute chopped onion and garlic, Then I add white wine, boil for a minute, add the clams and cover the pot,shaking the pot every now and then.That way the clams steam with the onion, garlic and the wine. Then I check for clams that haven't opened, throw them away, and sprinkle the clams with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper. I have my spaghetti, boiled al dente and I mix it into the clams. Bon Appetit!!
I just had lunch, and you're making me hungry Chefellas!

I may have to make that for dinner tonight. :chef:
 
Heres is the first step scrub the clams under cold running water to remove all sand and grit . Discard any that do no not close when tapped. Put the clams into a saucepan , add the wine cover and cok for 5m inutes , strain , reserving the liquid . Remove the clams from their shells , discard any that have not opened and leaving a few in their half shells for garnish.

Now will clams open when i am cleaning and close when i tapp them i kinda confused u discard those that do not close then those which do not open.
Healthy live hard clams should not open when they are being scrubbed.
 
shall i just pay attention to the ones that dont open when cooked after say 5 minutes . If they dont open what does it mean.
 
Cooking time can be a function of the size of the clams, quantity of liquid relative to the quantity of clams and time to come back up to heat after clams are added to pot. Five dozen SMALL clams (vongole or little neck quahogs) cooked in covered pot with a scant quart of boiling liquid should be cooked and open after 5 - 8 minutes. I'd suggest checking after 6 minutes, removing open clams, covering and continuing to cook remaining clams for another 3 minutes; after which I'd discard any that haven't opened.

BTW the clams should release a noticeable amount of liquor which enhances the broth / cooking liquid served over the spaghetti.
 
-Actually you are close to clams meuniere. One of my favorite ways to make mussles is meuniere. But clams work well too. Just Google for recipes.
 
This might sound dumb but if they dont open how do you eat themin order to get ill. Plus how open do they have to be because when i cook mussels there are different degrees of openess. Is it the same thing with mussels that dont open , that they have died and containt bacteria.
 
Some people might try to shuck them (open the shell with a knife), like you do with raw oysters; this is why people are warned, in all the recipes I've seen, to eat only the ones that open after cooking.

Before cooking them, tap any open ones with a knife or something - they should close tightly. They have to use the muscle attached to the hinge in order to close, so this is how you know they're alive; any that don't close should be discarded. After cooking, any that have opened at all are safe. If they're not completely open, you can use a shellfish fork or other utensil to open them and pull out the meat.

Yes, it's the same with all shellfish in the shell.
 
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so if they are open a bit its ok and if they are closed before cooking and opened after thats ok too.

Thanks
 
Here man, try this. Hot pan, oil(olive), garlic, crushed red pepper, pinch of oregano, and a few capers, lightly brown garlic, add clams, toss, add 3oz whine and 1ounce pasta water, cover. Just let it simmer away covered. Wait for your pasta to be about a minute from being done and remove lid off the pan, add in pasta, and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. Let the pot liquor reduce a little more to your liking, add some fresh chopped parsley and a little more olive oil, toss, DONE. 8min flat.

Any of the little buggers that didn't open up nice, just pitch 'em. Not even WORTH risking any kind of illness. Not to mention, there is a reason your nose is above your mouth, if there IS a bad one, you WILL know before it hits your tounge.

Always add more clams then you think you will need just in case you do have one, then you can accommodate for it.
 
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