Spaghetti alle vongole

Clean the clams by leaving to soak in heavily salted water (it should be salty enough to taste like sea water) for 20 minutes. The clams will naturally filter out any grit and sand. If they are particularly sandy, repeat the process with a fresh batch of salted water. After this process, leave to soak in unsalted cold water for 10 minutes to rinse off any excess salt they have absorbed

Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until very al dente – about 2 minutes under the recommended cooking instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan with a lid. Gently sauté the garlic slices and fresh chilli until soft but not coloured

Add the clams to the pan followed by the white wine. Turn up the heat and cover with a lid

Give the pan a shake every 20 seconds, the clams should be cooked after 2 minutes or so. Take the pan off the heat and discard any clams which haven’t opened, and any empty shells

When ready, drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Toss the spaghetti through the white wine and clam sauce until well-coated, adding some of the reserved cooking water if needed

Stir through the fresh parsley and leave for a minute or two for the pasta to absorb the flavours. Serve with a crisp glass of white wine