Serves 4
Ingredients
For the red pesto:
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 50 g/2 oz./ ½ cup pine nuts
- 25 g/1 oz./ ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the clam sauce:
- 450 g/1 lb. live clams, in their shells
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 5 tbsp./ 1/3 cup medium-dry white wine
- 150 ml/ ¼ pint/ 2/3 cup fish or chicken stock
- 275 g/10 oz./3 ¾ cups spaghetti
Directions
To make the red pesto. place the garlic, pine nuts. basil leaves. sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil in a food processor and blend in short. sharp bursts until smooth. Scrape into a bowl, then stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and leave in the refrigerator until required.
Scrub the clams with a soft brush and remove any beards from the shells. discarding any shells that are open or damaged. Wash in plenty of cold water. then leave in a bowl covered with cold water in the refrigerator until required. Change the water frequently.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the garlic and onion for 5 minutes until softened but not colored. Add the wine and stock and bring to the boil. Add the clams. cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until the clams have opened.
Discard any clams that have not opened and stir in the red pesto sauce. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti for 5-7 minutes until al dente. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add the sauce to the spaghetti. mix well. then spoon into a serving dish and serve immediately.