nonna's pasta alle vongole (clam pasta)

best enjoyed with a group of sicilians and a big loaf of bread to scarpetta up all of those juices at the bottom of the bowl

Here in NYC, the leaves are falling and the days are getting colder. Yet, I miss those days sweating my ass off in my bikini drinking white wine and making pasta with Nonna in Sicily this summer.

Last summer, when I lived with Paola aka Nonna in Sicily - we made pasta….every damn day. And it was….heaven (and worth every extra ass jiggle in my step).

And it wasn’t just about the pasta. It was the time when the entire family (plus +/- 20 friends and sometimes strangers) convened together and ate. Dinner was usually at 11pm and it was still so hot out that we all sweat while we piled hot pasta in our mouths. Yet, it was the best part of the day. Everyone from 1 yr olds to 80 yr olds were welcome and celebrated and we all just laughed and shared stories.

I think those moments are what I missed the most after my residency in Sicily.

Well, that was until I remembered that Paola and her entire family also live in Queens, NY most of the year.

For background - Over 50 years ago, Paola and her generation’s family immigrated to New York. But they always kept such proud and strong ties to their homeland and every summer, the entire extended family goes back and spends time there. Paola and her husband also own and manage rental properties + they have the family farm.

So, in October, after olive harvesting season, Paola makes her way back to New York to spend the Fall/Winter.

When Paola got back a few weeks ago, she invited me over to her home in Queens for Sunday family dinner and I was SO excited. I was picturing a cozy little dinner with a few family members. After all of my time with Paola this summer, I should have known better. When did Paola ever just have a small dinner?

I walked in to her home and was greeted by a huge CIAOOOOO!!!! And lo and behold, about 30 people - almost the entire family who I sat around the table with in Sicily -was there. I felt transported back to those sweaty nights….but instead we were in Queens and everyone was wearing sweaters.

It’s so funny because I *felt* the same that I felt back there. Just a totally different setting.

But let me tell you, the food was just as I remembered. Paola was running around cooking, kids were running around stealing cookies off platters, and Uncle Santino was cutting up pieces of kiwi from his garden for me with his pocket knife.

Goddamn I missed this lovely chaos. Check out the video of that evening here!

I had such a great night reconnecting with the family. They always remind me that food is best enjoyed in the company of friends and family and that there is *always* enough room at the table.

So the following week, I was inspired to make another one of Paola’s recipe’s for a few friends - PASTA ALLE VONGOLE!

Pasta alle Vongole is Clam Pasta. It’s so fresh, so flavorful, and so simple. And what a crowd pleaser - put that big ass pot of pasta in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in. And don’t forget to scarpetta - aka get a piece of bread to sop up all of that delicious garlicky clammy juices at the bottom of the bowl :)

Check out the video I made here and recipe below.

Buon appetito :)

Nonna’s Pasta alle Vongole

Ingredients

Serves 4

Y’all, Nonna does NOT measure anything. So while these are my best estimates, I encourage you to trust your taste buds. You can do it!

1.5 lb fresh clams

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

A few cherry tomatoes, sliced, for color

1 head parsley, chopped

1 lb spaghetti

Olive oil, salt, pepper as needed

1. In a large bowl, soak the clams in water and salt for about an hour to get the sand out. Drain.

2. Put the clams in a pot with just an inch of water. They’ll steam up, and start to open a little and release the clam juice. Don’t cook until they are completely open, but just open a little bit.

3. Save this clam juice and pass through a cheese cloth to get out any remaining sand (or, be lazy as me and say f*ck it and run the risk of eating tiny bits of sand).

4. Saute onion in olive oil in separate pan.

5. Add the minced garlic.

6. Add a few tomatoes for color.

7. Add the clams until they open all the way.

8. Add white wine and clam juice.

9. Add fresh herbs like parsley.

10. Simmer just a minute or two so all the flavors blend. Be careful to not overcook.

11. Boil your pasta and save some pasta water.

12. Add the pasta to the pan with the clams and add pasta water as desired.

13. Salt and pepper to taste.

she added some shrimp...bc why the hell not!

Best served with a crowd of sweaty Sicilians, cold white wine, and bread to scarpetta all of that garlicky clam sauce at the bottom of the bowl :)

Baci,

Tessa