Linguini Vongole

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

50g / 1.5 oz salted butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

200ml / 7 fl oz white wine

800g / 28 oz fresh clams, cleaned

1 tsp dried oregano

600g / 21 oz linguini

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lemon wedges to serve

METHOD:

1. Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the crushed garlic and chopped chilli and cook for two minutes.

2. Add the white wine, clams and dried oregano and turn up the heat to high, cover the pan and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until all the clams have opened.

3. Meanwhile, cook the linguini in a big saucepan of boiling salted water. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside, keeping a few tablespoons of the cooking water, which you can use to stop the pasta from sticking.

4. Once the clams have all opened pour the sauce into the drained pasta and add the flat-leaf parsley and toss so that the sauce coats the pasta. Use the remaining pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Serve straight away with wedges of lemon.